The Aftermath
by slurpie97
Summary: This is when the hostages have been released by the Vespers. They find themselves in the middle of nowhere while in the CCC, problems arise and relationships are discovered and severed.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic so I'm a bit nervous about submitting...anyways, I hope y'all leave reviews! These totally make my day!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues. I do, however, wish that Jake Rosenbloom can be mine._**

**Jake: No.**

**Me: Come on. Pretty please?**

**Jake: You want me to report you to Interpol for harassment?**

**Me: uhmmm...seriously?**

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><p>The hostages had been set free. In the middle of the jungle, the Vespers held up their end of the bargain. As soon as the Cahills had given up the last artifact, Albert Einstein's preserved brain, the Vespers sent the cargo holding the seven hostages in the middle of the Lionhead Forest. The Vespers were happy.<p>

The hostages weren't.

"Ouch!" wailed Phoenix Wizard.

Nellie scrambled back to the boy. He tripped over a branch, his ankle had been twisted and it swelled to the size of a golf ball. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit down on his lip hard. In the dark, Nellie could see his face twisted in sorrow. She quickly removed his shoe and sock then twisted his pants up. She gasped.

"That bad?" he joked, wincing after.

Nellie shook her head. "We can fix it. We just have to get out of here." She pulled his arm over her shoulder and knelt down to him. "Can you walk?"

"I will."

But as he stood, he again screamed. Nellie almost dropped him. He wheezed, his chest heaving up and down. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You guys go on ahead of me." he said.

"No." she said. Turning to the direction to where the others had gone, she cupped her arms over her mouth and yelled, "Reagan!"

A girl, unusually built for her age, appeared. "We were wondering where you guys had gone." Her eyes flitted over to Phoenix's ankle and her eyes widened. She looked at Nellie and nodded. "I got him."

Reagan then put her arms under Phoenix's neck and knees. Phoenix tried resisting but the pain in his ankle rendered him useless.

Phoenix grunted. "You could have skipped the princess hold."

Reagan laughed. "You owe me for this." She stood up and started walking over to the rest. "Besides, I need the exercise."

"I can't believe they let us go smack in the middle of the Lionhead Forest." Alistair Oh said.

"I can't believe they let us go." Reagan said. "Period."

Fiske nodded. "I recognize the weather and the birds. Just saw an Argentine cockatoo fly by."

"This forest sets off a bad vibe." Nellie said, clutching her shoulder. "It's bringing my nightmares back to life."

Ted Starling shushed them all. He held up an index finger with his other hand cupped over his ear. His eyes which were normally shut tight were now wide open. His glassy irises shone silver in the night. A few minutes passed by in silence. Crickets sounded in choruses, toads sang, bats screeched, and there was a faint roar.

Phoenix gasped. And so did Reagan.

Alistair chuckled. "An animal relative. I could recognize him anywhere."

Nellie narrowed her eyes at the old man. "What do you mean?"

"He should. Being an E-_Cat_." Natalie Kabra emphasized. Her sleek black hair was swept up in a messy ponytail. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken and her cheeks hollow. The tight, serious expression on her face was totally different from the Natalie weeks before, frightened, inexperienced. Now, her aura emitted an air of deadliness, like a real Lucian Cahill. "Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to know why this forest was named Lionhead."

Phoenix screamed. He pointed to the bushed behind Fiske. "Lion!"

And the feline roared again, reaching for the Madrigal's shoulder.

"They didn't really let us go." Natalie said, reaching for a fallen branch. "They let us go in this particular forest because they know that anyone who had entered here never got out. Ever." She then brought it down on the lion with a force that would have put a Tomas to shame. "They knew we'd die. They aren't that dumb."

Ted laughed. "Then again, we're Cahills."

The group smiled. Natalie smirked.

"Yeah." Alistair said, picking up his cane which he realized they'd left as they dropped them off. "They aren't dumb but they still haven't learned the most important lesson: _Never underestimate a Cahill._"

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><p><strong>So...it's pretty much really short but I'm still in the process of making the other chapters. I easily get discouraged when writing stories so please boost me! I promise that even just a measly five reviews can fuel me to making more chapters! WAHAHAHAHAHA!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**__I am so thankful to all those guys who reviewed! When I looked at them, I was all like, whoa! Someone actually read my story. I so appreciate it...yipee! hehe...**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues. If I did, I would have sent them all back to school already.**_

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><p><strong><em>Deal done.<em>**

Amy exhaled. Behind her, she heard her brother, Dan, slap a high-five with his best friend, Atticus Rosenbloom. On the screen, she saw the color rush back to Ian Kabra's face, once again turning him to a handsome man, closely resembling any male model. Sinead Starling suck in a huge rush of breath and slumped back in her seat. Evan Tolliver, Amy's boyfriend, smiled.

The DeOssie rang again.

**_They aren't our responsibility now. It is up to them whether they come back home or not. We kept our end of the deal, to let them go. Where they are is for us to know and you to find out. Oh and, if they do come back home, I would like you to say hi to Natalie for me. I am so proud of her. Of the seven, she is the most changed. More like a Vesper. And to Ted, such a courageous young man. Truly an Ekaterina by heart. I do hope he doesn't get murdered by his "own kind", though. Well then, good luck Cahills. -V1_**

As Amy read the message, she could feel her heart drop to her knees. On the screen, Ian kept a poker face, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Sinead's eyes had gone moist. Amy recognized that expression. Sinead's face was now turning red, her freckles standing out even more, and tears had rushed down her cheeks.

She screamed.

"Sinead!" Amy stood and rushed to the screen.

Sinead was covering her face with the palms of her hands, sobbing loudly, her mouth gaping open. Her breaths were so loud, her screams reverberating throughout the penthouse. She was wheezing now, her beautiful sky blue eyes veined red. Evan had rushed to her, gently patting her back and murmuring something in her ear. Sinead grasped him by the collar and buried her face in his chest.

Jake Rosenbloom, Atticus' older brother, looked over at Amy. Her eyes were full of unshed tears. He expected her to be looking at her boyfriend, her face full of jealousy and rage. But instead, what he saw was anger, sympathy, passion, and gentleness. She wasn't looking at Evan. Her eyes were trained on Ian Kabra.

Ian's eyes were blank, he was still and unmoving. Jake thought that the man would be proud because his sister had now progressed into a ruthless machine, truly like a Lucian. But it must have been the way Vesper One had said it. _More like a Vesper._ It sounded like she has now transformed to a merciless killing machine.

Which she probably had.

Amy's hand raised, as if she could somehow comfort the Lucian. Then, she dropped it again. She marched back to her place on the couch, beside Jake. She sat down heavily. He could see her blinking so fast to prevent the tears from coming. She even pinched her nose and inhaled. Behind them, Atticus and Dan had grown silent.

"Let's go to Attleboro." Atticus announced.

Jake looked back to where the two were. Dan was covering his face with a pillow. Atticus was burying his attention on his laptop. When Atticus looked at his brother, a smile was lingering on his face. Jake smiled. His brother is on to something.

Evan was now looking at the boy genius. "What are you gonna do here, Atticus?"

"I might know how to find them." Atticus replied. "By the way, you guys _did _say that you have relatives everywhere, right?"

Amy now looked at him. Ian's eyes had returned back to their raven black color. Sinead was holding a Kleenex, still heavily wheezing.

"How about we use that to our advantage?" Atticus challenged.

Dan wiped his eyes on his sleeve and patted his friend on the back. "We're all ears."

-o-

Evan was now sitting in his place, beside the fountain behind the school. He watched the other students walk by. They were busy with schoolwork, just as every normal student should be in the month of November. As more students pass by, the more he is reflecting on his decision in joining the Cahill madness. Sure, he did it for Amy. But now, he feels as if he isn't her first priority anymore. Spending time with her hot-shot cousin, Ian Kabra, proved that. When he had gone to New York to meet his mother, she almost freaked out. When he cancelled his flight back to Boston, she did. Whenever Evan contacted her, her first question would be _"Word of Ian?"_ He almost shouted that he doesn't care about that Cobra anymore. He isn't worth worrying over. He betrayed Amy, lied to her, threatened her, broke her heart, mended it, and broke it all over again. He tolerated Ian for Amy's sake.

Sinead shared his concern. But she had told him to respect Amy's feelings. They _were _relatives after all. They had been on the hunt together, they shared experiences. The Kabra siblings sacrificed their lives of designer clothes, private jets, and personal maids just so they could contribute to the vision of a united Cahill family. It was clear that Ian didn't want to be there with them but his love for his sister seemed to outweigh his wants.

Evan thought that Natalie wasn't the only reason as to why Ian had agreed to help.

There was also Amy.

Then, the image of the smart professor's son popped into Evan's mind.

Jake Rosenbloom was clearly more good-looking than Evan and smarter too. Evan noticed how the guy looked at Amy. The way his face would twist when she was sad. How his eyes would just shine when she was happy. Evan also noticed how Jake's cheeks would turn red when Amy would smile at him.

Then, there wast that one time when he stuttered when Amy kissed him on the cheek.

Evan didn't want to think about it but he felt jealous. He didn't want to admit it, but he does. Who could even stand to Ian Kabra, a wealthy, famous, and gorgeous aristocrat? Then, there was the handsome genius, who could recite the whole timeline of the World War I without batting an eye. And when he felt like it, he could also maybe narrate the second World War.

Let's face it: between the Aristocrat, the Genius, and the Computer Geek, who would Amy choose?

If ever she chose the Computer Geek, the world must've run out of boys by then.

Making up his mind, Evan stood and walked back to the Cahill Command Center (CCC).

"This is gonna be the toughest speech in my life." he muttered to himself.

Then again, Public Speaking had always been one of his many fortes.

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><p><strong>I guess some of you are saying that their reactions are pretty much of an overreaction but it's what I wrote. I don't know why but no matter how many times I revert them, I just don't seem content with the outcome as I am with this one...<strong>

**TheHelper3440: wahaha! I so love the expression AWESOME EPICNESS! thnk u so much for describing my story with that phrase!**

**amberwolf532: well, I just found out that after Einstein died, they kept his brain in a cookie jar behind a refrigerator. They say that scientists did this 'cause they wanted to study it so I guess it WAS pretty freaky...**

**amianfan102: yay! really? I am so happy! hehe..I hope I reach your expectations though... xD**

**BookwormGirl16: for being review number one, I shall give you a prize which just so happens to be...a virtual banana split with extra chocolate syrup on top! hehe..yeah. I got the E-cat joke from *somewhere* as I was rereading the series...**

**airyclaire: everyone is in character SO FAR...hehe. you'll be surprised as to how OOC i can turn my characters into...mwahahahaha! just kiddin. Anyways, thank you so much! I am a perfectionist when it comes to my grammar so this comment really made me see a pegasus jump over my happiness rainbow... . ^-^**

**JesseCPK: haha...there is more yet to come! I just couldn't pick any other character there so I just picked Amian since I am a fan at heart. (DO NOT ASK ME HOW ADDICTED I AM...YOU MIGHT GET FREAKED OUT) :))))**

**KTRose12: omigosh! tnk u so much...one of ur stories is my fave and I sorta used some parts of it as my inspiration...and also, I do hope it will be an amazing story.**

**I am so ecstatic right now...I logged on and saw that my story got 112 hits and 92 visitors in just two days! yipee...but I really do hope more of you guys will review! I promise that the next stories will be more interesting and long...so please hold on 'til then!**

**~ .thetwihardtwibute.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yipee! Update...sorry it took so long though. It's holy week over here at our place and I'm catholic so there's pretty much a lot of things going on... Busy, busy, busy...**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The 39 Clues. If I do, it would have been so horribly written.**_

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><p><em>"Hey there, kiddo!" Nellie called after her. "You alright?"<em>

_"Ian said he couldn't come." Amy replied, burying her face in her hands._

_Nellie pursed her lips. "I always knew that brat was a jerk."_

_"You never liked him, Nell." Amy said._

_Nellie shrugged. "Probably 'cause he was a jerk."_

Amy shifted in her sleep. "Nellie…" she muttered.

_"Amelia, care for burritos?" Uncle Alistair asked. His smile was wider than usual as he offered Amy and Dan a tray of burritos._

_"Sorry, Al." Dan said, shifting his sunglasses. "I've had enough of your microwaveable burritos."_

_Amy elbowed her brother. She reached for one. "Oh wow, Uncle." she said. "Is this a new flavor?"_

_Alistair smiled again. "Yes, my dear. It is. I will let you guess its flavor."_

_As Amy took a bite, he eyes widened. She softly laughed. "Cherry Garcia, uncle?"_

_Dan stood up straight. "Cherry Garcia?"_

_"Indeed it is Cherry Garcia." Alistair said, offering the tray to Dan. "I've somehow extracted the taste and incorporated it into burritos."_

_Dan took a bite and his eyes lit up like fireworks at New Year's Eve. "Dude! I never knew burrito could taste this good!"_

Amy clenched her fists in her sleep, grunting and kicking her pillows off her bed.

_"STOP!" Natalie yelled, marching over to Amy._

_"W-w-what is it, N-Natalie?" Amy said, immediately pinching herself for the stammer._

_Natalie clucked as she delicately touched her chin with her ebony manicured fingertip. "I cannot believe I am about to give you fashion advice but since it _is _a family reunion,…"_

_Natalie then reached for an emerald floor-length gown from the closet. It had glitters embedded in it, with silver floral designs. The fabric was obviously velvet, with a few fur here and there. After Natalie wrestled Amy into wearing it, she also took control of her hair, wildly pushing jewel encrusted pins at certain places. When Natalie revealed a huge diamond necklace, Amy shook her head. Natalie's mouth opened in shock and Amy took out her jade necklace._

_"I want this on instead." she told Natalie._

_Natalie nodded and she clasped the necklace behind her neck. "Under one condition." she said. She then reached around the drawer in front of Amy, producing a bottle of silver manicure. "You put this on."_

_Nervously, Amy nodded._

_When she had gone out of the room, Amy saw Jonah waiting there, leaning on the wall directly on the opposite of the door. He was wearing a black and white tuxedo, with shiny black leather shoes and lots of rings on his fingers. When he saw Amy, he stood up, cleared his throat and walked over to her, offering her his arm._

_"Phoenix dared me." he had told her. "You look amazing, by the way."_

_Amy smiled._

_"Of course you do. You're my cuz." he continued._

_Amy shook her head and rolled her eyes. Typical of Jonah Wizard._

_When they approached the stairs, all eyes turned to them. Reagan had raced up the stairs, ignoring Natalie's screams. _"Running back up the staircase once you have been there already is uncustomary!"

_Reagan went to her, cupping a pearl broach. "Ted asked me to give this to you." she said, her cheeks flaming red hot. "He says that it's a good luck charm."_

_Amy nodded and thanked her. When Reagan had gone back down the stairs, she ran straight to Ted. Ted unexpectedly hugged her. Jonah and Amy shared a knowing look._

_Further into the night, at the dances, Uncle Fiske had asked her to dance with him. Both had left feet so they just kept on laughing until the song ended. When it did, Fiske received a tap on the shoulder. Ian Kabra emerged, dashingly handsome in his sleek black and red tuxedo. He had a grin which was frighteningly visible in the low lights. Ian took Fiske's place as the old man slipped away._

_"This last song is dedicated to my fave cuz's short-time crush!" Phoenix announced over the microphone. "Doesn't matter it'd been just two minutes or two seconds cuz! Still is a crush."_

_Just then, Amy's favorite song, _Crush by David Archuleta _started booming over the speakers. Ian then took a hold of Amy's hand and waist ._

_"This for you, Ames!" yelled Phoenix._

_"Am gon' kill you, Phoen!" replied Jonah._

_The people laughed._

_Then, the dream morphed to a pure white image. There was no up or down, no sideways. Only seven hostages in the middle, all of them crying and lying down. Nellie's shoulder was bleeding badly, the floor around her stained a dark red color. Fiske and Alistair were both clutching their knees, no doubt hurting. Reagan was then murmuring reassurances into Ted's ear, whose irises had disappeared. His pupils seemed to be staring deep into Amy's soul, burrowing into her, blaming her for the situation they are in. Phoenix's forehead was also bleeding but he was lying facedown on the floor. Then, by the corner, Natalie had tucked her knees to her chest and her viper-like eyes looked at her, fire burning in them._

_"Useless." her lips mouthed._

Amy screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching the bed sheet as her whole body lunged forwards. Veins stood out on her neck, and forehead. Her feet furiously kicked the sheet, ripping it. She screamed even louder, and more desperate.

"No!" she yelled. She yelled again, fire licking every part of her body and perspiration snaking through her skin, making her clothes and hair wet. She screamed until her voice was hoarse and her throat ached. She fisted her hands and pounded them on her mattress, determined on releasing all her anger and frustration. Just then, she heard someone mutter her name gently and pat her back. The hand was gentle, carefully calming her down and reassuring her that it was all a dream. That it was all a nightmare.

What she feared was that it all seemed so real.

"Sssh, Amy." the voice murmured. "I'm here. You're safe."

_"Don't worry, Amy." her father said. "It was all a nightmare. Nightmares only scare you. Don't worry. Daddy's here now."_

_The hand consistently patted her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead._

"Crap." she heard the voice mutter. "You're burning up."

Amy breathed hard, willing her eyes to open. "Dad? Is that you?"

"Amy!" the voice said.

Amy hurriedly wrapped her arms around the figure's neck and hugged him. She cried into his shoulder, sobbing louder.

"Amy…" the voice said. A pair of arms removed her arms from his neck. A hand carefully wiped the hair from her forehead and neck. It wiped a damp cloth over her skin. Over her arms, neck, and face.

"Dad…" she muttered again.

The figure sat her up back on the headboard and he pushed a cold glass of water to her lips. She felt the delicious liquid quench the fire which was slowly consuming her. Then, she opened her eyes and found herself staring into two chocolate brown ones.

"I'm glad you're alive." Jake said, neatly folding the towel and putting it on her forehead.

She sank down on the pillows, exhaling, and willing herself to relax.

_Useless._

"Hey. What's wrong?" Jake asked.

She had started crying again. This time, though, both her eyes were wide open, the tears continuously streaming down her face, her neck, and into her shirt. Images of the hostages flitted through her mind, one by one. Reagan's crying look. Ted's glassy eyes. Nellie's bleeding shoulder. Phoenix and the gash on his forehead. Fiske even thinner than before. Alistair with even more wrinkles.

Natalie, fiery-eyed and desperate.

_Useless._

"We need to find them!" Amy yelled, pulling Jake's shirt. "We have to find them! They need us. God knows where the Vespers dropped them off. In-In…Antarctica! Or in the middle of the Sahara! Or fed to sh-sharks in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle…"

"Sssh…" Jake hushed. He refolded the towel and put it back on her forehead. Her fever is rising quickly. She is having hysterics and she is perspiring like crazy. This isn't a good sign.

Then, it was like the world blacked out. She desperately needed something to hold on to, in order not to succumb into the darkness which awaits her. She flailed around, grasping for whatever she can in the dark. Then, she felt something. It was firm and strong, squeezing her hand tightly, as if determined to never let her go.

_Useless._

She screamed again.

-o-

Dan shot up into a sitting position. His attention was drawn to the door. Beside him, Atticus rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms.

"What is it, Dan?" Atticus drowsily asked.

Dan shushed him. He squinted his eyes and slowly slid off the bed. He slipped on his fuzzy white slippers, given to them by the receptionist. He tiptoed over to the door and stuck his ear to it.

Atticus reached for his glasses and soon joined Dan.

They heard another scream.

Atticus gasped. "Ame-!"

Dan shushed him again, this time louder. Atticus cupped both hands over his mouth. Dan then opened the door, thanking the hinges for not sounding.

"Jake should be on the couch. He said he'll sleep there, just in case someone tried to come in." Atticus whispered.

Dan shook his head. Even though the living room was pitch dark, he saw the velvet couch empty. Jake maybe had gotten up. The silence was eerie, especially since they had just heard the leader of the Cahill clan scream as if a sword was cutting her in half.

Dan swallowed. _Contain your imagination,_ he told himself.

"Dad?" Dan heard Amy say.

He felt his skin prickle. _No. Impossible. He couldn't have gotten in here._

"I'm glad you're alive." replied another voice.

Atticus exhaled. "That's Jake. He must've gone in when he heard Amy scream."

Dan nodded. Of course. It truly would have been impossible for their father to just miraculously appear at their penthouse suite in the middle of the night. Especially considering that they had chosen the safest and most well-protected hotel in the region. It had cost them money, but after they had all been through, they decided that at least eight hours of peaceful shuteye was worth it.

It seems like the odds really hate Amy.

"Go back to sleep, Att." Dan said.

"Dan, it's one AM. You should too." Atticus replied.

He saw Dan nod. "Be right there when Jake's hit the sack too."

Atticus watched his best friend cautiously eye the door to Amy's room. It was unlike him to be paranoid, but especially considering their family's history, you'd consider him one of the sane people left. Atticus yawned once again and he crawled over to their bed sleepily.

-o-

Jake sat on the floor beside Amy's bed. She had fallen back asleep. She's finally calmed down and by some miracle, her fever had also cooled. He wanted to go back to his couch but Amy had grabbed his arm as he was turning away. Her eyes were shut but he noticed her expression. She was scared, desperate, helpless, and alone.

Now, he rested his head on his arm, carefully looking at Amy's features. Her eyes were very peaceful in sleep, different from when she was awake: paranoid, always looking around, frowning at everything. Her lips were thin, set in a straight line. His other hand unconsciously went to her cheek. It was soft and smooth. He liked when they would turn red when she embarrassed herself or even thought of something inappropriate. Then, she would lower her head and look at her feet instead, unsuccessfully trying to hide her blush. At that moment, her red curtain of hair would flow down and shine in the light. This always had him stare at her. Her brownish-red hair and jade green eyes, very contrasting yet a very beautiful combination.

_Just like her._

He woke up with that thought. Just like her what? Beautiful? Whoa, whoa…hold on there, tiger. Where did _that _thought come from? He shook his head and returned his head on his arm. Taking in the faint smell of lavender, he hadn't noticed going to sleep.

Ten minutes later, Dan walked into the room stealthily.

_Like a ninja, _he thought.

He looked at Jake and Amy. There was a folded towel on her forehead and her hair was a rat's nest. Her left hand was holding Jake's right one. He was sleeping, his head peacefully rested on the edge of the bed. He was seated on the floor in an Indian seat. Dan shook his head. He walked over to the chair where there was an extra blanket. He carefully draped it on Jake, making sure that the knight-in-not-so-shining-armor won't get a cold. Just as Dan was gonna go out the door, an idea sprouted in his head. He ran over to the table in the living room and grabbed Jake's phone. He took a picture of the two's position and saved it.

Then, Dan decided on a little experiment.

_Why not?_ He smirked.

He then punched in Amy's number.

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><p><strong>Wahahaha! Hotel moment...it's so adorable the way that Dan and Atticus are sharing a room. I like turning Atticus into a helpless 'lil kid rather than the superhumanly smart kid he is. hehehe...<strong>

**-KTRose12: haha...thanks so much for reviewing. It's because of the time zone differences that I post at really crazy times. Yeah...I do have that problem. I have problem elongating my stories and continuing them...at the time, I am having writer's block so I don't know where this is heading...**

-**BookwormGirl16: yup. haha...I so love the alien triplets.. xD! But I'll be going into an internship school thing and where I'm going, there's no internet...so maybe I'll be posting less frequently.. I'll elongate the chapters though...**

**-amianfan102: uh-huh! the REAL story begins now! I really like Evan least of them all but in the books, they make him look like a martyr!... how can I hate him?**

**-amianfreak19: I am trying to associate this with the situation in the books so thankz a lot! and also...I guarantee that you will be surprised as to how the "Love Square" will turn out!**

***so guys, I have a favor to ask... Can you please request names? I really have trouble thinking some up and I want really awesome ones! (all I can think of is Joe and Matt and Bob...) so please review! I promise that I will put the names you suggest to good use!**

***BTW...did you notice the typo in the previous chap? hehe...just noticed it awhile ago...**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Whew! Well, that was the longest time that I had not updated... And what I fear is that today is my first night at the dormitory at where I will be staying for three weeks..And there is no internet connection here! At least I have my broadband..it's faster than our internet at home but more limited... And I mean MORE!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues for if I do, Evan would long be incinerated.**_

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><p>Sinead was browsing through the images she saved in her memory card. She took the card with her where ever she went. In here, she kept all the most memorable images she had taken. There were the ones during Christmas parties and summer vacations, the ones on annual Cahill reunions, and most especially, the ones in her family.<p>

The Starlings' parents are always flying around the world, concocting cures for cancer, asthma, and other incurable diseases. The last she had heard about her father was when he discovered a new species of bird in the Amazon rainforest. He named it the _Golden Katherine Dragonbird. _People were amazed by the beautiful bird. Its feathers were shiny gold, with reptilian eyes which closely resemble a lizard's. Its claws were unusually sharp for a bird and its beak was crimson.

_The color of fire, _Sinead thought.

She abruptly stopped. The image on the gigantic screen was frozen, teasing her. It was the image of the three of them, Sinead, Ned, and Ted. Sinead had wrapped her arms around Ted and was smiling at the camera from behind him. Ned was in front of them, only his eyes visible. Ted was pulling on Ned's hair. Ned's eyes were shining blue, the color of the sea. Even though his lips couldn't be seen, there was a certain humor in his eyes. Ted, however, seemed to be laughing and in pain at the same time. His electric blue eyes were shining, as if a current had just flown past. Sinead had the widest grin, her calm and gentle sky blue eyes looking straight at the camera.

Tears started pooling in her eyes. She missed Ted so terribly. Presently, Ned is at the care of medical professionals, Ekat doctors, of course. They were studying his case and are in pursuit of a cure for his randomly-occurring migraines.

She raised her arm, reaching for the image of Ted. She wanted so badly to hug him again, to tease him about his obsession over the Harry Potter series. She wanted to boast her new paralyze gun to him. It's been so long since the three of them have been together, since they had last worn matching clothes. It's been so long since she had heard Ned's snorting laughter and Ted's senseless expressions.

When she realized that he wasn't really there, her hand fell. It hit the metal keyboard and she didn't care. The pain wrenching her heart seemed to be too great. Right now, she just wanted to talk to anyone, to share her sorrows with anyone. Not Ian because he refuses to show weakness. Not Evan because he does not really know the feeling of losing someone important to him and not even knowing where he is, or whether he will come back home or not.

She pulled on her hair and tucked her knees under her chin. She started crying.

_"Hey there, CCC."_ boomed a familiar voice.

Sinead wiped her eyes and nose. _No. _She won't let anyone see her in this state. Most especially _him._

_"Sinead? That you?"_

Sinead then sniffed one last time and faced the screen. She was greeted by the concerned face of Hamilton Holt. She noticed dark bags underneath his eyes. _Of course he's been crying. Reagan's out there somewhere too._

"Hey, Ham."

_"You alright?"_

Sinead nodded. "Missing Ted. That's all."

Hamilton chuckled. _"Feeling kind of sentimental right now. About Reagan." _He sniffed. _"I bet you're gonna laugh now. A Tomas crying. Totally unheard of."_

"Nope." she said. Hamilton looked at her. "What is unheard of is if you are a Cahill and you do not cry over your genes."

_"True." _He replied, sighing. _"Very true."_

They were silent for a while. Somehow, the atmosphere had grown warmer and Sinead's mood lifted. She fingered the bracelet on her wrist. Ted had given it to her, saying that it is a good luck charm. It was sapphire. _The same color as Ted's eyes,_ she thought.

_"So they were let go?"_

Sinead nodded. She met his eyes and locked with them. They were the richest shade of brown, sprinkled with golden flecks. "We're just not sure where, though."

He shrugged. _"Jonah's sayin' that they're probably in a forest."_

Sinead immediately sat up straight. "What?"

_"Jonah's sayin' that them guys are prob'ly in a-" _His jaw dropped open. _"A-a…"_

Suddenly, Sinead broke into a grin and she started opening her tracking soft wares. "What made him say that, Ham?"

_"He said that there was a faint signal coming from a forest in Argentina. Five minutes later, it just blanked out."_

Now, Sinead was in the zone. Her hands were then flying over the keyboards and mice, her eyes opening multiple soft wares on multiple monitors at the same time. Her eyes were then filled with the sky blue color which Hamilton liked most about her.

"Ham?"

_"Yup?"_

"I need you to ask Jonah to send the soft ware program they used to detect the signal to me. Remind him to include the history and everything else, 'kay?"

Hamilton looked at Sinead. She's gone into full computer genius mode, multi-tasking and doing things he would probably not understand until eight years later. He looked at her completely rejuvenated and focused self. Her straight posture was definitely a change from her weak state just a moment ago. Her round face was shining as the lights from the monitors reflected on her. The stray auburn hair strands which had drifted to her eyes seemed to annoy her as she continuously blew on them. And they kept going back.

How he so wanted to lock them behind her ears.

_"Sure." _he replied.

"And, uhm, Hamilton?" she called.

_"Yes, Sinead?"_

She froze. What an effect his thick voice could have on her. "You coming back here?"

She seemed sad. And lonely.

_"Of course."_

She looked up at him and she saw him smiling at her. His grin was by far the most uplifting thing she had seen in weeks.

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Hurry, 'kay?"

He nodded. _"'Course."_

"See ya." she muttered. _Say it now, girl. Tell him! Tell him!_

_"See ya."_ he smiled at her for the last time.

"And Hamilton?"

_"Uh-huh?"_

She smiled back. She couldn't explain it but his grin was so contagious. So with his warm golden eyes. "I miss you."

Her eyes widened and she quickly clasped both her hands over her mouth. Hamilton chuckled.

_"Miss you too." _he said.

And the call ended.

* * *

><p><strong>Well...that was a very cheesy moment at the end.. But I gotta say: I LOVE HAMEAD! *no offense to the anti-hameads there, though... ^^*<strong>

**-clara0414: Thank you so much for your criticisms! You are an awesome editor... For my sentences, I separate them on purpose because I feel as if they would have more effect that way. And also, my punctuations and vocabulary are my weakest spots. I guess you could say that I'm lazy because I sorta easily get tired during editing.. And also, my thesaurus got deleted! It was my best friend... Also, I really like the idea of sweet girl ending up with a bad boy figure. And you're right. I don't know where this is going...but I really love impromptu so I make up most of the things along the way just so I could elongate the chapters. Thank you so much for your review. I can certainly learn more from them and please feel free to critique my stories. ^-^**

**-KTRose12: hahaha...I won't spoil anyone by saying that Ian and Amy will end up together. Let me just say that their "Love Square" is gonna be VEEEERRRRRYYYYYY interesting. :)))))) And yeah, a lot of guys got confused at the first bit...I shoulda warned you guys beforehand...**

**-addicted2reading9: yay! someone who reminds of myself when I really want to read the rest of the story...haha. I'll try my best to update soon. So please watch out for the next chapters!**

**-amianfan102: whoop! I love helpless girl rescued by dashing prince stories! No matter how cliche it seems...and I really want to strangle Evan right now. Really. *getting rope from cabinet* MWAHAHAHA! Get ready to read the next chapters. And be prepared for the disappearance of Evan Tolliver! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! *cough cough***

**-BookwormGirl16: You'll be surprised to know that there is a war coming up: Jamy vs. Amian! I'm sorta stuck between the two so I'm on neutral land... Switzerland, I'm coming! But still...the Evan vs Jake vs Ian for Amy Square is gonna leave you satisfied. I swear! (Or I hope so...)**

**More info on the names: Vesper and Cahill names, girls and boys.**

**Cahill: Ekaterina doctors; Tomas agents and codenames; Janus superstars; Lucian agents and codenames; Madrigal agents and codenames...**

**Vespers: agents and codenames.**

***I would appreciate names for gals and guys. If you'd like, you can also send in your name!**

**Tnx a lot! And 'til Chappie 5!**

**Preview:**

"A beautiful library this is. Don't you think so too, Ian?"

"You could have knocked first, Ned."

"Sorry if I startled you. It had just become a habit of mine to rush to the library whenever I go somewhere. I didn't think anyone would be here. Let alone Ian Kabra."

"I had no knowledge of you visiting, Ned."

"My sister contacted me. She said that she needed all the help she could get."

"And which one of your many talents does she need?"

"My Ekat talents, of course."

"Of course no one needs the Lucian. He is far too slippery to grab hold of."

"Besides your talents, you are still needed."

"What need am I when there are two Ekats in the room, and one computer geek?"

"Do not underestimate your value, Kabra. You may not be needed in the tracking down part of the mission but you are needed in other aspects."

"Do not underestimate a Kabra's value. If you told me that months ago, I would have scolded you for even forgetting it. Now, I'm beginning to think that I'm the most spoiled fruit in the basket."

"But someone would still want to eat that spoiled fruit."

**-**

**Ian: Shut up!**

**Me: Oh...look who's talking. The _spoiled fruit_.**

**Ian: The dangerously enticing and tempting spoiled fruit which could give you the most hurtful pains yet to be discovered.**

**Me: Oh shut up, Ian _Cobra._**

**Ian: Look who's talking... The disgustingly slow author.**

**Me: ouch...that hurt.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ian: What took you?**

**Me: I only got the time to update now...**

**Ian: Pah! I bet you're just lazy.**

**Me: Me? Lazy? And look who's talking. Mr. Look-at-me-I-am-so-handsomely-grumpy.**

**Ian: You did it on purpose, didn't you? Because you didn't want MY chapter to be posted.**

**Me: Will you please shut up?**

**Ian: Or what? You'll make me?**

**Me: So the story can start.**

**Ian: Oh...**

**Me: Do the disclaimer first, though. _So the story can begin._**

**Ian: Hmph. Fine. _ slurpie97_ does not own the 39 clues, or any bit of sense of punctuality, responsibility, respect, and integrity. And she also has lost her sanity.**

**Me: You're just cranky 'cause you're a spoiled fruit...**

* * *

><p>Ian Kabra is bored. He had secluded himself in the library. The smell of oak and mahogany were strangely comforting. The silver and golden chandeliers hung high from the ceiling, reminding him of the ones back in the Kabra estate. There were a lot of shelves, standing side by side, crammed with books, magazines, maps, and more. He sat back on one of the plush sofas by the tables. He raised his feet on the coffee table, tipping his head back on the sofa, facing the crème colored ceiling.<p>

He had in hand a Rubik's cube. It wasn't a normal cube. It was designed in a way such that its six sides held the designs of the Lucian, Janus, Tomas, Ekaterina, Madrigal, and Cahill crests, with their appropriate colors. He had been twisting it for a really long time now, with no luck. All he had been able to form was the Lucian crest. Once he was done with that, he encountered a dead end.

Now, he's just run out of things to do. He was tossing the cube into the air, twirling it and catching it. Toss, twirl, catch. This became his new game. Toss, twirl, catch. Toss, twirl, catch. Toss, twirl, catch. Toss, twirl,-

"A beautiful library this is." a voice said from the large French doors which had seemed to open. "Don't you think so too, Ian?"

Ian's attention had turned to the door and the cube fell on his chin. He muttered a curse while rubbing his chin, quickly looking around for a mirror.

"You could have knocked first, Ned." Ian said, fumbling in his pocket for his handkerchief.

The redhead wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and skechers shrugged. "Sorry if I startled you." He walked over to the textbooks section and started fingering the spines. "It had just become a habit of mine to rush to the library whenever I go somewhere. I didn't think anyone would be here. Let alone Ian Kabra."

Ian grunted. Why does everyone think that the library is not one of his hot-spots? Of course. Because the laboratory would be top in his list. Second is the private army training grounds. Then the Lucian headquarters. Then the Armani shop down the block.

He picked up the cube and rested it beside him. He ran his fingers through his hair, exhaled and returned his feet on the table.

He slumped back. "I had no knowledge of you visiting, Ned."

Ned was paging through a thick physics textbook, smiling, as if he had just read a joke. He quickly slammed it and returned it back. He pulled out another textbook which was thicker. History.

"My sister contacted me." he said. "She said that she needed all the help she could get."

He again put the book back and he walked over to Ian, sitting down on the sofa directly in front of him. Ned smiled, his aqua eyes revealing a depth which one would be curious about. He looked so much like Ted.

"And which one of your many talents does she need?" Ian yawned.

Ned eyed the cube beside Ian. "My Ekat talents, of course."

Ian saw him looking at the cube. Ian then took it, twirled it once around his palm, looking at the Lucian crest. "Of course no one needs the Lucian. He is far too slippery to grab hold of."

He then tossed it to Ned who caught it with one hand."Besides your talents, you are still needed."

Ian chuckled, gazing at the chandelier. "What need am I when there are two Ekats in the room, and one computer geek?"

"Do not underestimate your value, Kabra." Ned said, his attention on the cube. He was playing with it, rearranging the Lucian crest. "You may not be needed in the tracking down part of the mission but you _are _needed in other aspects."

"Do not underestimate a Kabra's value." Ian repeated. "If you told me that months ago, I would have scolded you for even forgetting it. Now, I'm beginning to think that I'm the most spoiled fruit in the basket."

"But someone would still want to eat that spoiled fruit."

Ian looked at his cousin. He had now let go of the cube and set it down on the table. Ned leaned forward, locking with Ian's eyes. "You may be here, talking about how useless you are when out there is someone who wants to see you when she comes back. That girl who finds in you her only remaining family."

Ian looked at his cousin. The_ Ekats_ are the smart members of the clan, the inventors, scientists, and astronauts. There is no scientific term in this world which they know nothing about. The Kabra boy was surprised at Ned's wisdom, though. Ekaterina members are smart in a scientific sense, not so much in the emotional department. The Janus excel in that section.

Ned's eyes now were the color of turquoise. _Dangerous waters. _Ian thought. These weeks, while the hostages were in detainment, even the child genius must have matured. He tolerated weeks worrying about his brother, his sister bawling her eyes out, scientists occasionally prodding him, trying to look for a cure for his head-splitting migraines. The Starlings have it worst among than the rest of them, even than the Cahill siblings themselves.

"I find it that you are feeling uncomfortable at the mention of young Natalie Kabra." Ned said, breaking Ian's trance.

Ian shook his head.

Ned exhaled. "Well then, before this conversation, you should have first asked me as to why I was suddenly needed here."

"All agents are needed for Atticus' plan of finding the hostages."

"No, my dear charming cousin." Ned mocked. "Janus technology have managed to identify a forest as a possible location."

Ian's eyes widened. "A forest in Argentina!"

Ned laughed, slapping his knee."Indeed! Now, if you excuse me, I'd best be on my way to the CCC."

Ned threw the cube back to Ian. The redhead bowed, and walked out the double doors. Ian watched Ned as he left. He had the same grace in walking as his sister, a straight back with slightly slumping shoulders. A result of endlessly poring over books, no doubt. Ian grinned to himself at the thought of having his relatives back after weeks of their disappearance. He'd be glad to have the old burrito man back with his diamond-tipped walking cane. So with the Madrigal who limits his wardrobe to shady colors, black, and gray. There is also the second Holt child. The blind child genius would be fun having around as well, especially as they said that his other four senses have greatly improved. Of course, who could forget the miniature version of Jonah Wizard who unexpectedly played rather pleasant Beethoven? There is also the Cahill siblings' dying meerkat of a voice au pair. Lastly, Natalie Kabra, the shopaholic of a spoiled of a sister of his as well.

Oh how he missed her most of all.

Turning the Rubik's cube over in his hand, Ian was awed at the once again arranged images of the respective Cahill crests. He recalled the child genius not even paying attention to it, randomly twisting and turning it. Then, he had done it in under a minute.

Ian chuckled to himself. "One must not underestimate an_ Ekat_."

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooookayyy... A boring chapter! Yes. I know! But still, I encourage everyone to please leave their reviews...to my dreams, I am haunted by Surghum Syrup so please help me chase them away by waves of ecstacy which only your reviews can give! XD<strong>

**-KTRose12: hehe..I think I might have let you down there...I mean, four days of no update? My broadband's load credit ran out so I panicked. And panicked. And panicked. :)) Anyways, I'll force myself to insert _really _romantic Amian soon! I want to try and insert scenes which can make the heart flutter yet not seem too awkward so it's pretty much of a challenge...hehe.. Also, the emotions! That is what I force myself to do every single time I write. Yeah...I don't really know the color of Ham's eyes...so I just placed brown eyes. I really like the statement _"His brown eyes were as soft as chocolate, sprinkled with shimmering flecks of gold"._ ^^**

**-amianfreak19: with the preview back there, I think I went overboard...so I erased the descriptions and just put the dialogues instead! Yipee! So glad you loved it though.**

**-BookwormGirl16: I just love fights over the girl...so maybe I'll put a bit of muscle in there...MWAHAHAHA!**

**-nellieawesomegomez: oh...She is, isn't she? .. Thanks a lot for pointing that out, though!**

**-amianfan102: IKR! Baboosh Evan! Kissing Kabra is such an adorable and cute fic! I absolutely luuuurrrrvvvved it! ;) And yup! You have GOT to love the nerd + athlete combo!**

**-BlackBeautyAngel: Thank you so much! I'm brainstorming so much on plot possibilities but until now, I've none...hehe. That's me!**

**TY to everyone out there! But I would really appreciate it if you really reviewed...even if it's just meaningless words like: _Tolliver's a freak._ I would totally reply to you no matter what you review! Oh, and I have a question for y'all...**

**_How do you put the elephant in the refrigerator?_**

**Haha! I have a special surprise for those who get it right! 'Til next time!**

**Signing out,**

**~.twihardtribute.**

**Ian: You plan on freezing yourself?**

**Me: Shut it, Cobra!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am reaaalllllyyy sorry to everyone for not updating in the last three days...It's been real hectic lately. But soon, I hope I get the opportunity to update daily...haha. I hope.**

**Ron: Bloody? I _bloody _love the word! It's so british.**

**Natalie: You are a sorry excuse for a Brit.**

**Ian: Natalie, do not insult him.**

**Natalie: Don't talk to me, Ian.**

**Ian: Please forgive Natalie. She's grumpy because she is not able to go shopping.**

**Ron: *nods* I know how creepy girls can get when they're mad. Having one for a best friend-**

**Hermione: Ronald!**

**Ron: _I am going to buy the 39 Clues books from the bookstore! This series is owned by Scholastic! Help!_**

**Me: Is it just me, or are these Disclaimers getting weirder and weirder?**

**Ian: It's just you. Nothing is weird if I'm present.**

* * *

><p>"Get this bloody bug away from me!" Natalie yelled.<p>

Then, she pounded her fisted hand on the trunk of a tree so hard that the leaves even rattled. Her hand was stained with a sticky black liquid. She looked at it, wrinkled her nose in disgust, and wiped it on her orange trousers. Afterwhich, she started inspecting her nails and tightening her ponytail. The rest of the gang looked at her surprisingly.

"Uhm…Natalie?" Phoenix called.

Natalie glared at him with her most poisonous Kabra eyes. "If you even start talking about that _bug-_"

Phoenix held both his hands up in front of him, palms out. "I wasn't gonna."

Nellie was tending to his foot, ripping up Phoenix's sock and wrapping it around his ankle. Nellie shuddered, startled by Natalie's pissed off tone and Phoenix's calm one.

_How certain Cahill business can change you, _she thought.

"I was just gonna ask you to rest for a while." Phoenix slightly said.

Natalie tipped her head back and laughed. "If there's one thing that I know about these _Vespers-"_ she spat the word, "-it's that they love to make us suffer while we are engaging in our hobbies and pleasures."

"We know." Reagan interrupted. She was leaning back on a tree, her arms folded in front of her. "But we need as much rest as we can get. Besides, all of us are pretty much capable of watch."

"I can watch while _you _sleep, thank you very much." Natalie said, sitting down on a stump and rearranging her hair. "I am a Lucian and while you drift off to _Lala Land_, I will be planning a strategy on how we can get out of here _alive._"

"While we were asleep these past two days, that was precisely what you have been doing, child." Fiske said, rubbing two twigs together in an attempt to build a fire.

"Ian's fine, Natalie." Phoenix said, looking down at his ankle and wincing.

They were silent for a while, pretending to be busy in their own ways. "Right now, they're prob'ly workin' their heads off tryin' to find us. We're not doin' them any favor by stayin' awake the whole night and not restin' up. Who knows how long we'll be here? And besides," he tried to stand and walk to where Fiske was, blowing on a tiny pile of smoke. "we're Cahills, remember? We never lose."

Natalie's hardened amber eyes softened a bit. She couldn't believe that what woke her up was a speech by a member of the branch the Lucians have been constantly warring against: the descendants of the youngest child, Jane. She opened her palms and saw that they had been stark white, all the blood pushed out while she had been clenching them. She thought about her gorgeous brother, Ian. While she had not been in such close terms with him during the hunt, she still loved him, being her brother and all. And now that their _wondrous, caring mother_ has been sent to prison, and their_ oh-so-loving father_ is now in hiding in South America, Ian's pretty much the only family she has left. And now, as seven of the people whom she would have expected could understand her most witnessed her grumpy moodiness, she would not be surprised at all if all members of the Cahill clan detested Natalie Kabra.

But she'd grown tired of her constant whimpering, and screaming, and crying at the Vespers' mercy. Slowly, she built a façade which said _Do not mess with Natalie or you'll taste the true wrath of a Lucian._ During her past, people feared her because of her parents, Vikram and Isabel Kabra. They feared the deadly good looks of her brother, Ian Kabra. Her? They simply agreed to whatever she said because she always kept her silver dart gun nearby. Whenever anybody displeased her, all she'd need to do is to point her gun at them and repeat her lines over and over again: _Would you like to say that to my gun and see how it reacts?_

But when she didn't have her gun with her, she always felt vulnerable, as if even a measly Tomas could crush her (possible though, literally). If people didn't know her last name, they would smile at her like they would at a young girl who rather looked like a British version of Barbie, cooing her, and asking who her parents were, as if she was lost. If she didn't have her brother beside her to do the negotiations and trades, they would overlook her and do anything they want, to get the most out of the agreement between their company and the wealthy Kabras.

Well, guess what? She's tired. She's tired of constantly being the underdog. She's tired of being a weakling.

Her eyes returned to their cold, stone-like appearance. "You don't need to remind me. Not only am I a Cahill, I am also a Kabra." In the flames of the fire, her eyes looked as heartless as that of a cobra's. "And it is not your business as to what I do. I have a mind of my own."

With a final glare at her companions, the new, transformed Natalie Kabra walked away from their camp, determined to turn into a ruthless, vicious person just as what a Lucian _should _be.

Just as what a Vesper _is_.

-o-

"Thanks to Evan, we were able to pinpoint the location of the hostages." Sinead said, enlarging the images of the 5000-hectare wide forest. "We found out that they were dropped off in the Lionhead forest."

"That place is a thousand times wider than_ this_ place!" Dan exclaimed. "How in the world will we be able to find them?"

"Not to mention that Lionhead forest is known for having a complete index on all the feline and cat species." Atticus interrupted, glancing up from his laptop. "And also, six of the most poisonous snakes in the world are found in this lone forest."

"Great." Jake muttered from his position in front of one of the monitors. "Guess what, Ian? There is a very wide diversity of cobras here."

Dan shrugged. "At least Natalie has a more probable survival possibility than the others."

"Thank you, Daniel, for that very _interesting_ fact." Ian groaned.

Amy was pacing in front of the master monitor. She kept staring at it, her mind deep in thought. _Lionhead forest in Argentina… There is a majority of Lions there, hence the name. So that's why Vesper One had said that may Ted not be killed by his 'own kind'. However, according to the population of tigers there, they should probably have encountered one already…_

Then, an idea popped up in Amy's mind. She quickly accessed the Tomas database and was then browsing through the 'People' and 'Geography' sections. She felt Jake's presence beside her, him gaping up at the huge monitor which was now displaying several images of Tomas agents in Argentina: people holding up lion carcasses and dead anacondas. Behind her, she sensed Hamilton's huge body, staring wide-eyed at the screen and at his relatives.

"'Course…" he muttered. "Argentina is a Tomas colony." He then smacked his forehead with his palm. "How could I have _missed _that?"

"Figuring that you're a dolt, it would have been a miracle for you to have even remembered it at all." Sinead said, turning her attention to Amy.

"You didn't figure it out either, _Starling_." Hamilton groaned. "And you call yourself a braniac."

"It was their bad luck to have dropped the hostages down in Argentina where the Tomas clan thrives in abundance." Amy stated, facing the now attentive crowd. "Since they _are _the most buffed up members of our family. And also, if I am not mistaken, Ian-"

"Yes?" he replied, glancing up from his iPod.

"Don't the Lucians also have a stronghold in Argentina?"

His face lit up. "Indeed we do. It was built as a fort during the Cold War, as an armory, to be exact. But when the wars ended, it was rebuilt by a previous leader who later on renovated it and transformed it to a stronghold."

"Well, such a convenience that we have two branch leaders here." Amy said.

Atticus stood and placed his laptop on Jake's lap. Then he muttered something in his ear which made Jake smile.

"I think I'm getting' what Ames is tryin' to say, yo!" Jonah announced. "Should I call my mom for a conference?"

"No need for that, Jonah. You, as a representative, are fine." Amy opened her account and typed a mail to Eisenhower Holt.

She felt the group's eyes on her. She turned around. "Hey, didn't Atticus say to use our resources to our advantage? Well,…" she then nodded to Ned who was on the phone. Ned nodded back. "I am trying to get every capable Cahill agent in Argentina to scour Lionhead forest for our hostages. I figured that our major actors here would be the-"

"Tomas and Lucians." Ian said, now standing straight.

Amy smiled at him. Finally. He seemed like his old self, eager, and a bit poisonous. "The Tomas are able to survive under the most extreme conditions and that is why I accounted their having Argentina as a colony advantageous. Then, the Lucians have this same talent and, they are more skilled in the part where they get to take care of the vipers."

Ned walked over to Amy's place, a grin on his face. Sinead seemed to have noticed this and she questioningly looked at her brother. "Father had agreed to grant Sinead a temporary authority on the Ekaterina Medical Association."

The atmosphere in the room had somehow lifted. Everyone was smiling, event the distraught Sinead. Jonah was rapping something which included "_And them vipers don't stand no chance, yo"__. _Evan was looking at Amy with an amazed expression. Amy had delivered her task as Cahill leader flawlessly, taking out orders and making sure that they go according to plan.

"I want to go to Argentina." Hamilton said, stepping forward.

Sinead's eyes shot to him. He was looking at Amy directly in the eye, his face an unreadable mask. Amy looked at Sinead, concern in her eyes. Hamilton followed Amy and he locked eyes with Sinead. She begged him, with her eyes, begged him to stay. She'd already been feeling the pain of Ted's loss, of his being out there, in the open, exposed to lions and snakes.

_I wouldn't take it if you were gone, _she thought.

At that, she blushed and looked away. What was she thinking? What a Tomas does is not her business. It would rather be nice if he disappeared, right? So that the Tomas population would diminish. They were getting buffer and the world's already cramped up as it is. Despite that, she couldn't ignore this feeling in the pit of her stomach which seemed to be pulling Hamilton to her. The feeling ached, ached at seeing him volunteer to be tossed into a possible bloodbath.

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you sure? We already have enough men on the task. I've contacted your branch leader and he sent off every agent he could, including himself."

"I am." Hamilton sturdily replied. "Reagan's out there. I want to find her. She's my sis. I know that some of the guys here feel the same."

Ian lowered his head once again. He turned his attention back to his iPod, blasting the music to the highest volume. He didn't care if he missed the rest of the meeting. So what if he was the Lucian branch's freaking leader? Hamilton was right. He knew the feeling of having his sister out there. But Lucians refuse to show weakness. And he is willing to take that principle up.

"Let him go, Amy." Sinead commanded, her voice raspy from the crying. "Just please…let him go."

She lifted her eyes and she was crying again. Her nose, cheeks, and ears had turned red, and tears were already skidding down her chin. "We need as much help as we can get."

She then buried her face in her hands and she ran out of the command center, her red hair flying behind her. Ned tried to run after her but Amy blocked his way. She shook her head at him. "Now that she left, we need you on the tracking monitor."

Ned bit his lip and nodded. He took Sinead's seat and he started typing into the computer. Amy tapped his shoulder.

"First, could you book Ham a flight for Argentina? Make sure he takes the fastest jet."

Ned nodded and soon, he was the phone with an airline company which seemed to belong to a _Mr. Starling_.

Amy took out her phone. She dialed someone. She waited, her lips set in a grim line.

"Hello? Ivan? It's Amy." Amy looked at Ham and winked. "We have an agent here and he wants to go on the mission with you. He is a Tomas and I guarantee you that he is one of the best agents I know." she nodded a few times, smiling into the receiver. "It's Hamilton Holt."

Hamilton couldn't believe it. He'll soon find his sister. He's missed her so much. After weeks of worrying, their mother might finally stop her continuous cleaning of Reagan's room, muttering about how_ she wanted it to stay clean_. Their father would then lay off on the spaghetti and start eating _real _food like chips and soda. And Madison will finally stop daydreaming, talking to an imaginary Reagan, dressing Arnold up in Reagan's clothes, and calling Hamilton Reagan.

Then, as he watched Sinead run out, he started to think that this was a bad idea, if she would even cry over it. Watching her lovely blue eyes blanch, as if seeing a ghost, and her cheeks fill with unnecessary tears. She's gone through a lot. The Starling triplets have. He shuddered at the memory of the Franklin Institute, him seeing the image of three redheads in the hospital, immobilized and helpless. One of them losing his eyesight, and one having hellish headaches.

All the Holts' fault.

_Three Child Geniuses Blown Up in Museum Explosion_

_Suspect: Unknown_

"Hamilton," Amy called. He though that this wasn't maybe the first time she tried to get his attention. "Your flight's ready. I've even contacted Ivan Kleister."

"Thanks." Hamilton waved as he went for the door.

"Oh, and, Ham?"

He turned to Amy who was giving him a sad smile. "Please find Ted. For Sinead."

Hamilton nodded.

Besides, even if Amy wouldn't have told him that, he'd do it anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew! And here comes the wave of OOC-ness! Haha...Sorry if it's really dramatic. Like a soap opera!<strong>

**-addicted2reading9: Wow! Congratulations for being the first to answer correctly, and to review the previous chapter. It's amazing how much more I can write and how much farther I get when I have more reviews... XD**

**-KTRose12: About the Rubix cube...it was actually inspired by my cousin! She was trying to solve it but she could only get to one color...so she took all the minicubes off and put them back with their color groups. Haha...Right now, I'm focusing more on Ian's monologues 'cause I want everyone to read what's in his mind...But to tell you the truth, I'm actually itching for some Amian right now! .**

**-JesseCPK: Yup! It's my first story. And I'm trying to keep it as original as possible but at FF, I'm reading some really amazing stuff so I often get tempted to get some parts of them to insert in my story... hehe.. Oh and, I'll try to update maybe every two or three days as my everyday update can't be because of school requirements..**

**-amianfreak19: Thank you so much! I'm trying my best to incorporate this with the books so you would be able to relate. And what I really meant for the previous chapter to do is to show Ian's soft side..so please forgive me if he is OOC.. Also, fill the refrigerator with peanuts was also my first answer when they asked me the question.. Harhar..**

**-BookwormGirl16: Yipee! _Tolliver's a freak.** _Tolliver's a freak._**** _Tolliver's a freak._**_ Hehe...I think I'm going bananas. Yeah, chap is one of my favorite english words...heehee.**

**-amianfan102: In my stories, I really want the minor characters to shine. You guys must have noticed how I base the story on different points of view. At one part, it's from Amy's, then it's from Jake's, then Ian's, Phoenix's, Nat's, and so on... I feel like every character has a special nature so I want to emphasize all of them as much as possible!**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: Love Square and Spoiled Fruit I think are my most used phrases...haha. And I picked these up around FF...Thank you for adding this to your favorites! I really appreciate it...I want to put cheesy moments but refrain from doing so because I fear that most people hate them... :)))**

**-clara0414: Again, for the editing, thank you SOOOO MUCH! Oh, for triplets' age, how much older are they than Ian, Amy, Ham, and Jonah? Yeah, you're right...For the tenses, I don't really pay attention to them much but I think I use the past tense more often. Descriptions are also one of my weaknesses. I tend to describe only the general parts but I'll make sure to be more detailed in the future. Thanks also for the thesaurus and as for the punctuation, I'm doing all I can to improve myself...hehe. It's just that I don't want to bother anyone with checking my work...I just feel 'off' when I ask somebody else to edit it. I guess it's because I grew up having others let me check their grammar than the other way around.. But I'll think about getting a beta. Thank you a bunch once again! ^^**

**-nellieawesomegomez: So the Starlings are five or three years older than Amy? ...I'm getting confused..**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! This chapter received ten (Sadie reviewed twice :D), which is the most in a chapter SO FAR! I hope... So the answer to the previous chapter's question is...**

**_Open the door, pick the elephant up, put it in the refrigerator, and close the door._**

**addicted2reading9 is the only one who got the correct answer! *.* For that, I shall ask you to give me a pairing in the 39 Clues series. Any pairing at all, no matter how ridiculous it is! (ex. Nellie and Ian) It's fine whether it's a funny pair or a cute one (Amian)...it's all up to you! And, I will make a one-shot basing on the pair you gave me, and it will be dedicated to you! :-3**

**_Question 2:_**

**_How do you put the giraffe in the refrigerator?_**

**Haha! Another special reward for those who get it! ^-^ 'Til Chap 7!**

**~.twihardtribute.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ooookayy.. The three days turned to five and yesterday was**** my mom's birthday so... BELATED HAPPY 44TH BIRTHDAY MAMA! hehe..sorry. Had to get it out somehow. The house is in chaos, almost all of my cousins are here and my friend, Fatima, won't stop texting me, demanding that I tell her what will happen next...She's torturing me, and I guess that's how you guys are probably feeling... ^-^**

**_Disclaimed!_**

* * *

><p>"Yo, Ian." Jake called, tapping Ian on the shoulder.<p>

Ian locked his iPod and removed his ear buds. He looked at Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom who were grinning like idiots. Ian tried to glare at them, to send them the message to go away. Atticus' smile faltered and he took a step back. Jake realized what Ian was trying to do and so, he glared back.

Ian couldn't help it but smile. The guy almost had a glare like a Kabra. _Almost._

"Touché." Ian muttered, sitting up straighter. "What do you want?"

"Well, we heard about how your branch sorta houses most of the famous spies in the world." Jake started.

Ian laughed. "_Sorta?_ Are you mocking me, Mr. Rosenbloom?"

The two Rosenblooms exchanged glances. Ian's laughing face soon disappeared as he saw Jake Rosenbloom's features closely. He had hazel eyes which, at the moment, seemed to be in a green state. His oblong-shaped face had a well-defined chin. His eyes were not large, nor were they narrow. He had very fair skin, and flawless as well.

Ian studied the man. He was handsome, that much was true. But was he drop-dead gorgeous like Ian Kabra? No. Not by a long shot. But he had thought that he was good enough for Amy…

_What? _Ian slapped himself. _All this stress is getting to you, chap!_

He scoffed. "Ignore that. It was rhetorical." He then turned in his seat to face them. "Again. _What do you want?_"

Jake sighed. The man is as conceited as Amy told him. Perhaps even more. He cleared his throat.

"_Again._" he said, mimicking Ian's tone. This got a smile from Atticus. "We heard that your branch houses most of the spies known in history."

"Of course it does. We _are _Lucians. We are ruthless and deadly. Slippery yet firm. Isn't that what confidential observing is mostly based upon?"

Jake raised an eyebrow. _Wow. He _is _that conceited. _"Atticus and I would like to ask you a favor. We thought that you could help us since the Lucians specialize in clandestine matters."

Ian nodded. Typical of American twits to not do their respective jobs themselves. And these were even non-Cahills! The nerve of the teens these days. America surely needs bachelor lessons from England.

"Atticus designed a program which could leech all the Vespers' files from under their noses. I was able to modify it in a way that it is untraceable and undetectable by even the most advanced of softwares. I had programmed it so that upon processing this soft ware in a desktop-any desktop, whether it be the administrator or not-it will spread to all nearby units, taking their files as well." Jake explained.

Ian had now laced his fingers under his jaw. Their program is interesting. A soft ware to steal files from the Vespers? Ha! What genius! They now had his ears. An undetectable software is what Lucian technology was trying to develop. Almost all programs that they have created are easily found by anti-virus softwares, no matter what level. Really. It's _very _embarrassing.

"Now, leeching the files is the easy part. The only difficult one is how do we transfer the software to their computer without them being suspicious of the origin? And that is where we were hoping you'd be able to help." Jake finished.

Of course. If they used the Cahill computers, Vesper technicians would be able to recognize it right away, no matter what name they use. They couldn't use the Rosenblooms' either because they are after Atticus, the last Guardian. Anonymous messaging. That is what they need. And that is what a certain someone Ian knows excels at.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Jake said. "The best part is that, I also programmed the software to be a virus."

Ian's eyes widened at the word. _Virus._ It's like music to his ears.

"A virus which, when activated, completely immobilizes any technological unit connected to the computers permanently."

"Amazing." Ian muttered.

Then, if that happens, the Vespers would need new equipment. That means they would either steal, or purchase the products. If they did that, then by paying attention to the consumers and their respective picks, they would be able to identify particular Vesper members and maybe kidnap one. They could then interrogate one, torture them until they cracked, spilling more Vesper information. Then, because of Lucian tactics, that one person of a leak could turn into a complete breakdown. The Vespers would be infiltrated, then defeated.

And revenge would be delivered.

"Ian?" called the smaller Rosenbloom. "Ian, are you still there?"

Ian mentally hit his head on a wall for even daydreaming in front of these two. He nodded, and, with a smirk, he said, "Let's do it."

He then rolled over to one of the monitors, and opened a soft ware which was already online. This software seemed to be for Lucians only because of the trademark colors of red and black dominating the environment. Ian typed some words, and a face appeared. He seemed to be around Ian's age. He had charcoal black hair with brown highlights and he was lying down on his chair, both his feet propped on the table, and he was blowing a bubble gum.

Ian cleared his throat and the guy immediately sat up, running his fingers through his hair. "Hey, boss."

"Nathan." Ian nodded. He heard Atticus chuckle from behind him. At first glance, Nathan wouldn't strike you as a Lucian. But that is one of the good things about him. The best is because he can hack into _every _system there is. At the same time, he is skilled in espionage and can act as a double agent. He had once infiltrated into Madrigal grounds. But soon, he was discovered. When he found out that the Madrigal branch leader was a sixteen-year-old girl, he went to report back to the Lucian branch leader and he dismissed this silly task. Turns out, Nathan acted because he was bored.

Ian shook his head at the memory. A bored Nathan is the worst there is. The last time he had nothing to do, he hacked into the computers at CIA. The Lucians at CIA had to unleash all the training they had to even just retrieve the files. It took them a whole month to rid the computers of the virus.

"I have an assignment for you." Ian said, connecting Atticus' laptop to the USB port. He downloaded the file and transferred it to an email, sending it to Nathan's account. "I want you to somehow send that to Vesper computers _anonymously_."

Nathan's eyes widened as he downloaded the attached file.

"Do not open it!" Jake warned. Nathan looked at him. "It immobilizes any gadget connected to the computer. It can also infect any neighboring unit by a wireless connection. I repeat. _All _of your computers, laptops, cellphones, tablets, cameras, and anything else computer related will have a system failure."

Nathan grinned. "Cool, yo. This is a SuckerWare."

"_My version._" Atticus said.

"Let me guess…you want Vesper computers to be the host." Nathan smiled.

Ian smirked. "And Lucian computers to be the parasite."

"Consider it done, boss." Nathan said, and the screen blacked out.

Ian smiled at the brothers. Jake was still grinning but Atticus' forehead was wrinkled in thought.

"Hey Ian," he said. "how will he be able to send the ware to a computer when he doesn't even know the location of their headquarters?"

Ian clucked and inserted the buds into his ears again. "Trust me. Nathan is good that way."

He then blasted his iPod to the highest volume.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I thought you guys oughta know...I'm a Natan shipper and that is where the <em>Nathan <em>came from! hehe...**

**-BookwormGirl16: Congratulations for being the first to answer correctly! hehe...**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: Wow! I guess I'm not the only one who gets crazy once he finds about his branch...and BTW, I'm a Lucian! Oh and thanks for the age!**

**-amianfan102: Thank you a thousandfold! I was thinking about how overreactive everyone's reactions were so I guess I was a bit nervous...**

**-addicted2reading9: Lovin' the pair! haha...I'll have fun writing about that! Wait for it, ladies and gentlemen!**

**-KTRose12: About Natalie, I have special plans for her in the future of this story...haha. And I really feel awesome when you guys say that they're all IC! Waiting for that review which says they're OOC... :)))**

**-clara0414: ooh...SUSPENSE! XD I think I'm getting the hang of the commas and tenses...Currently editing the future stories whil I got the chance...hehe. With the _Phoenix slightly said_, I kinda ran out of words and those three just popped in my mind. I promise to further analyse my phrases in the future.. I really loved your compliments on the Hamead and Natalie's development!**

**-Bubbles975: Haha...thanks! Oh, and, it's fine to have wrong spellings. And yes, you could say that it was really unexpected for Janus technology to have been the one which found them..And yes! YES! Jonah the Supermegastar is turning to the minor character. I'll work on it, I swear! )))**

**-amianfreak19: Yeah! Nat's so cool, (I assumed...0:)) and the Hamead portion of the story is pretty heartbreaking... But be optimistic about Hamilton, for Sinead's sake. hehe.**

**-nellieawesomegomez: Correct answer! As for the pairing, watch out for that one, too! hehe...**

**-cammieannemorganlee: Aww...but I'll stop...once it's finished! haha...but I'll never stop posting stories for FF!**

**-ammitaffy23: weehhh? You love it? Barbie teh? Haha...And don't worry,..I'll hurry up in writng... It's just that I keep having writer's block and I really hate it!**

**Answer to previous answer:**

**_Open door, take elephant out, put the giraffe in, close the door._  
><strong>

**BookwormGirl16, addicted2reading9, KTRose12, and nellieawesomegomez! Four times more than the previous question...hehe. So your prize is: give me a song, and I will write a totally uncheesy story based on that...and I'll put as little lyrics as possible in it so don't worry.**

** Third Question:**

**_Lion, the king of the forest, held a meeting which all animals are to attend. Which one of them didn't make it?_  
><strong>

**You know what happens if you get it right! Haha...And 'til the next chap, lads and lassies!**

**~.twihardtribute.**

**PS. you TOTALLY don't wanna miss the next chap! I SWEAR! It is what Amian shippers are all waiting for! I promise to post it ASAP! And I mean it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so**so****so****so****so****so****so****so****so****so****so****so sorry to you guys! I think it's been fifteen days since the last time I updated...I tried to update a week ago but my dad borrowed my laptop, then closed the window and this doc was not saved...right after, we had to leave for Baguio which is six hours away from our place! The boarding houses I stayed in had no internet connection and I've been tearing my hair out EVER SINCE!****

****Well...this chap ain't really an Amian but it goes in the direction of Amian shippers so...ENJOY! XD!****

* * *

><p>"Amy," Evan whispered.<p>

"Yes, Evan?" she asked, turning away from the monitor which showed the dots of Tomas agents entering Lionhead forest.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

She instructed Jake to take over for her while she was gone. Evan noticed the way Jake smiled at her and gazed at her back as she walked away. Evan exhaled heavily and shook his arms. Just the sight of Jake Rosenbloom was already making him nervous. What more when he saw Ian Kabra?

They walked out into the balcony far away from the CCC. Amy inhaled the fresh morning breeze and smiled. She loved beautiful mornings like these in Attleboro. They are one of the few remaining proofs that she was still on Earth, living a normal life. She watched the tall pine trees sway in the wind, the air wipe her face and blow on her wrinkled t-shirt. She seemed happy. But when she looked at Evan with her green eyes, it was as if all the sadness and worry had accumulated there.

She looked at him. He glanced at his surroundings warily, like spies will suddenly appear and kidnap them. Being associated with the Cahills can do this to you: transform you into someone you barely know.

She sighed. "What's wrong, Evan? Everything fine?"

He turned to her. "I knew that joining in this family business of yours was gonna be troublesome. I had to keep an extra effort to balance school, helping here, and the Computer Club. The other day, I turned down the International Robotics Competition," he paused. "They chose me to lead the Massachusetts team."

At that, her face blushed slightly. "You shouldn't have done that. I know that you've been wanting to go to that contest for a really long time."

"I don't know." he said. "I guess that taking care of you guys was more of a priority to me than that dumb contest."

Unconsciously, she stepped closer to him. "I'm sorry if I dragged you into this mess."

"No," he interrupted. "Actually, I'm glad you did. This Cahill thing finally opened my eyes."

Amy squinted her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Grinning, he took her hand. "When I say Jake Rosenbloom, what pops into your mind?"

Quickly, she pursed her lips and her face turned to a pink color. She squeezed his hands. She remembered that morning when she woke up and found her hand squeezing Jake's mercilessly to a white color. When she let go of it and stood up, a slightly damp towel fell on her chest. He sleepily looked at her with his adorably bedridden hair and said, _"Is your fever down?"_

"He's a nice guy. He once took care of me when I had a fever."

This time, Evan's eyes were harder, like steel. "Ian Kabra."

At that, her color could easily put an award winning tomato to shame. Her palms were sweating and she slid them from Evan's grasp and wiped them on her jeans. Unexplainably, scenes from Korea rushed back into her memory. Him teasing her, brushing his arm against hers, his face touching hers as he released his grip on her waist, the time when he had saved her from the moving stone wall, shielding her from the flecks of dust which bounced off his hair. The time when he had stared into her eyes, his mouth forming the one word which literally had her heart stop beating for three whole seconds: _"Lovely."_

Most of all, she remembered the feel of his lips against hers, even though it was just for a millisecond.

"Evan Tolliver," Evan murmured softly.

The color rushed back to Amy, reverting her scarlet skin back to its crème color. She smiled warmly at him, as if thanking him for saving her from another wave of embarrassment.

"I see," he whispered.

"Why? What is it?" she asked.

"Can't you see, Amy?" he said, spreading his arms as if gesturing to her to look around her. "I think it would most benefit you if we broke up."

Her eyes widened and she blanched. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you don't like me anymore. Well, not in that romantic sense, that is."

"But-"

He held his hand up. "No buts. You met me before you even knew Jake. You realized you liked me after you got over Ian Kabra. So practically, if you would have met Jake anytime before you even spoke to me, you'd already be head over heels for him."

Ian came out to the balcony looking for Amy. He has such amazing news to tell her. What he saw instead was the back of Amy talking to Evan Tolliver. Quickly, he hid behind one of the marble pillars, relying on his Lucian abilities to spy and remain undetected.

"What-" Amy was shocked. "Jake has nothing to do with this. He is an amazing and intelligent friend-"

"Handsome." Evan supplied.

"Hand-whatever! He and Atticus have helped Dan and I in the search for the artifacts which the Vespers demanded. Without them, we would have taken longer than usual and only God knows what would have happened to the hostages after just a bit of delay!"

"How do you explain that kiss?" Evan asked, his tone grim. "Despite Atticus and Dan there, you just had to give _Jake _your celebratory kiss."

"He was the one who helped me find that riddle out. Seriously, Evan. You are being ridiculous."

"I know I am being ridiculous. But I do know that you had fallen for Ian Kabra back I don't remember when."

Amy froze. And behind her, so did Ian. She recalled those times when Evan kept asking about her family members. She always skipped the ones about Ian. But Evan, being the sharp one, recognized her avoidance of the topic. He pressed her for the story and soon, she broke. She told him about when they thought they had left the Kabras for dead in Venice. When _they _had taken their revenge out on them when they left _them_ for dead in Korea. When he had just watched from his seat in the yacht while he watched his mother feed her to the sharks. Every single time, she wanted to hate him, to kill him. But whenever he would act kindly to her, even just a slight brush of the hand would paint her cheeks crimson and somehow, all the hatred would disappear.

"I didn't fall for him." Amy said, clenching her fists.

"Yes. You did. And right now, you like him. I notice the way you look at him and how you constantly worry about him. You remember that time when he went to New York and disappeared for two weeks?"

Amy nodded, her face tense and unmoving.

"Well, you would call _every single day_ just to ask where he was and if we've heard about him. If we said no, you'd sign off, tears in your eyes. If yes, you would just light up like the Fourth of July."

"He's my cousin, Evan. I have a right to be worried about him."

"Amy!" Evan yelled. Amy flinched. "Your and his ancestors split up some five hundred years ago. For the River Styx's sake, you and I might be even more closely related than you and him!"

"You're not a Cahill, Evan."

"That's beside the point!"

They paused and looked at each other. Evan's face was now stark white, like the color of the dead. His fingers were trembling, and they were curled at unnatural angles. This happens whenever he launches into an embarrassing topic. He loses control of his whole body and it just acts out on its own, taking control of him.

Amy snorted.

And most of the time, his poses would look hilarious.

She started laughing then. At that moment, her whole appearance just changed. It was like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She seemed more like herself then. Young, laughing, beautiful, and free. Free of all the burdens which she is bearing. Burdens which are supposed to be carried only by a grown-up. However, Amy Cahill _is _a grown-up in some aspects. Her thoughts are mature, and so are her actions and decisions.

Most of all, she is the leader of the most powerful and influential family in the world.

At this moment, she just looks like a seventeen-year-old who has trouble breaking up with her first boyfriend ever.

"I guess I just realized now that I don't like you that way, Amy." he said, wrapping a strand of red hair around his finger. "I love you as a sister. And no matter what you say, I will not date my sis."

Amy smiled the smile which had caught Evan's attention the first time they met. They were standing at opposite sides of the classroom. All the kids grumbled about the pop quiz in biology. No one had even reviewed for it. All they talked about was the Valentines' Day that night. Only Evan and Amy didn't care about the dance. When the period ended, the teacher called for both of them and informed them that they had been advanced to the Biology Honors Class in Massachusetts University. They grinned at each other after that.

Amy then wrapped her arms around Evan and hugged him. Then, she murmured in his ear, "No matter what you do, do _not _tell anyone that Ian Kabra was the main discussion of this conversation."

Evan pulled away and laughed. "Don't worry. I'll tell everyone that it was Jake Rosenbloom."

"Hey!" Amy yelled.

"I'll go in now. You coming?" Evan asked.

She shook her head and smiled. "No. I'll stay here for awhile. I've missed the view from here."

"Sure. Bye, sis." he waved.

She again tipped her head back and laughed.

Ian slid down the post and spread his legs out before him. He buried his face in his hands which were shaking so bad already. Amy fell for him? That would explain the way she would blush whenever she saw him, how her stutter would burst to full blast, how she easily trusted him back at Korea.

How she would fume at just the sight of him.

There. The feeling at the pit of his stomach. It was like indigestion in a pleasurable way. Whenever he sees Amy smile, that feeling would just reemerge. Recently too, he finds himself blushing whenever people mention his name with Amy's. This is bad. He was _not _supposed to fall for a non-Lucian.

He was _not _supposed to fall for the most useful pawn in his games.

He kept hitting the back of his head against the pillar, as if by doing so, he could will this feeling away. But now that he's realized it, it has gone worse. Whenever he closed his eyes, what greeted him were two shining orbs of jade green eyes. Whenever he dreamt of that time back in Korea, when he had left them in that cave, a feeling of guilt and regret would wash over him. He kept yearning for her presence, to apologize to her.

He _has _to be reeducated.

He thought about all the previous girls he had dated. They all were deeply and desperately in love with him. He let them do all the work. When on a date, they would be flustered enough to have people stare at them all night because of Ian. The girl would then be so proud that she'd declare to be the one to pay for the dinner. Ian is a gentleman. And so, he lets the ladies have their ways.

Those were times when he had still obeyed his mother's will. When he had followed her orders unceasingly, carrying them out heartlessly and perfectly. He knew that all the things their mother asked them to do result to success. And success is always what a Lucian is about.

But then came the command from her that time before going on to Korea.

_"Ian. I have a mission for you. It seems as though you and your sister are failing miserably. You two are pathetic." Isabel hissed._

_Ian frowned at himself. "I am very sorry, mother. We were distracted. It won't happen again."_

_"I have taken into account that it indeed will not happen again. You need to up your game for the Cahill kids are leading."_

_Ian clenched his fist. "They are the reason we were left in that mansion, mother."_

_"Yes. And now, I want you to forge an alliance with them."_

_"Them?" Ian scoffed. "But I thought we do not associate ourselves with losers, mother."_

_"Unfortunately, we are related to them. So yes. Them. For as of the moment, they seem to be the most likely to succeed."_

_"Natalie and _I _are the most likely to succeed."_

_"Yes. I know. So, within that alliance, I want you to gain their trust completely. Have their trust that even after gaining the clue, let them point you to the location of the next one."_

_"The last time we met, we had a fight, mother. How will we earn their trust after that?"_

_"You know Amy Cahill, right?"_

_"All too well, mother."_

_"Good. She is the mastermind between these two. Now, _her _trust is what I want most of all. And I know a way of which you can gain that trust."_

_"What is it, mother?"_

_"My boy, I want you to unleash all you had learned from me. Make the Cahill girl fall in love with you."_

At the time, it had seemed like a game. An order given him by his mother. It was easy to make a girl fall in love with Ian Kabra. He is the most handsome Lucian there is. He is rich and cunning. Then, he is also the master of deception. Amy Cahill is a girl who is easily embarrassed. And, as Ian had found out, falls for the wrong boys.

He was amused at how that mission of his mother's backfired. By having her fall in love with him, he had unconsciously fallen for her.

He was startled as he admitted that to himself. He shook his head. No. This will not do.

_I am not in love with Amy Cahill._ He kept muttering to himself as he entered CCC.

Amy looked to her left and saw Ian Kabra emerge from the shadows. She noticed his slumped shoulders and bowed head as if deep in thought. She still couldn't get over as to how thrifty the Kabras had become even after earning two million dollars each. Ian is now dressed in a white t-shirt, a red jacket which complimented his complexion, dark jeans, and black converse.

_Even in peasant clothes, my brother still looks dashing. Don't you think so too, Amy? _Natalie had said once.

Amy chuckled to herself and she almost didn't notice Ian glance at her. _Almost._

* * *

><p><strong>Ren-ren: Cap! SS Evamy has been obliterated.<strong>

**SS Amian: Whoo!**

**SS Jamy: Uh-huh..uh-huh.. Let's dougie!**

**...**

**SS Amian: People! Man your battle stations! SS Jamy is within sight...**

**SS Jamy: Cannons! Fire on my command! One, two...**

**o...kay..**

**-blackraven88: congratulations for being the first to review and answer, though your answer is wrong...hehe. Try again next time! Thanks anyway for reviewing twice!**

**-KTRose12: whoo! another idea...let's have a hottie fight next time! ^^ with the techie stuff, I really tried to make it as difficult to understand as possible. :))) just kiddin. I'll jot that song down...did I mention that Kelly Clarkson is one of my fave singers? And your answer is correct once again!**

**-BookwormGirl16: a correct answer! oh and with What Makes You Beautiful, I've worked on it already in my spare time...Do you mind if I made it Amonah (Amy+Jonah)? I'm really sorry but it's what popped into my mind as I listened to it while reading to the part where Dan was kidnapped by Jonah... :J**

**-amianfreak19: I am sorry but your answer is incorrect...but yes there IS going to be Amian! so watch out for it!**

**-TheHelper3440: AWESOME EPICNESS to you too. XD oh and with Evan, I'll try to make him as much a martyr as any fictional character had ever been created! because in the end, i shall make him suffer the worst of pains...mwahahahahaha! *cough cough* just kidding! but there IS a bit of truth in that...**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: it's alright if you reviewed late...I updated UBER late. ..and yeah. I guess that's as far as the Rosenbloom-Kabra relationship's gonna get...hot glares and super handsome smirks which will melt you upon eye contact... ==l:) **

**-clara0414: your answer was wrong but it's alright. You have the next time. :D Thank you for the compliments! I'm so glad to know that I'm improving...with the soft ware and software incident, it's that on Word, I notice that it doesn't accept the one word...so I edited some and the others were left just as they are. Looking back, it IS confusing... with the OOC, I'm not trying to have you guys complain, but I was just so surprised at how in character they actually are...I am so happy with that, though. Yeah..I understand people who ship Deagan,...I'll work on that.**

**-Bubbles975: an accurate answer! with Jonah, I'll return him to the spotlight soon enough, so with a new pair including him...hehe. Hope you read the previous replies!**

**-nellieawesomegomez: long live the Hunger Games! haha...I'm in District 8 btw. I'll note the song!**

**-addicted2reading9: wew. I thought you'd be the only one who will be ableto answer all my questions! hehe...but I'm sorry. The owl stayed up late because it fears the lion's claws..**

**-amianfan102: thanks again to clara0414 for introducing to me! thankz again for all the compliments!**

**-amitaffy23: yeah. whatever. you're correct. hmpt. :D**

**-LilacQuill: I try to be omniscient in all my stories 'cause it's so much easier to write that way...and yes. Your answer is correct.**

**-TheVioletWarrior: don't worry, homie. ain't no storm's gon stop me from postin' on FF... XD and I wouldn't do anything to anger 1D! I worship them so much... *getting down on floor and bowing***

**-Anna1090: you are correct! oh and, I appreciate how much you love the story! I hope you continue reading!**

**Answer to previous question:**

**_The giraffe. Because it is still in the fridge._  
><strong>

**Congratulations to KTRose12, BookwormGirl16, Bubbles975, amitaffy23, LilacQuill, and Anna1090! For your prize, you guys get to give me any movie, TV show, story, or book, pick out a specific scene, and I shall adapt it to the 39 Clues characters. You can also choose which main characters IF YOU WANT.**

**Ex. Romeo and Juliet...Balcony Scene...Jonah and Sinead...Sinead is Romeo and Jonah is Juliet and they are fighting. Comedy!**

**wahaha...wait. I think I sense a one-shot coming on... :D**

**Fourth and Last Question:**

**_There is a river that you wish to cross. However, there is no bridge. It is very wide, yet shallow. The catch: crocodiles and alligators call this river their home._  
><strong>

**Hehe..answer and review soon fellas!**

**~.twihardtribute.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wew. Three days? Haha...Currently, I am propped down in our sala, watching Jessica Sanchez sing on AI11... Yipee! Vote for her, please! XD**

**Setting that aside, I am proud to announce that this chapter is _Disclaimed!_**

* * *

><p>Fiske was gathering apples from a tree when he heard Alistair groan. Alistair has been complaining about aches on his back and knees ever since they were released. Well, at least Fiske exercised regularly, as inspired by the Cahill kids. They trained so hard that it almost seemed shameful if he didn't join them in their pain. Alistair was probably too busy as the Ekaterina branch leader to even bother going to the gym. Fiske sighed and gave his old friend one apple.<p>

"Save it for the youngsters," Alistair said, gripping his knee.

"There is a lot of it. Don't make me force you to eat it, Alistair. You need this," Fiske insisted.

Alistair looked at Fiske, then eyed the apple. He took it, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite out of it.

They then heard rattling. The two old men looked at each other. Alistair rolled his eyes downwards, gesturing for Fiske to look down. He did. And he saw a rattlesnake slither past his foot. When it had passed by, another appeared. The two were frozen for minutes as snake after snake drifted past their feet.

Alistair sent his friend a dry look. His cheeks still bulged from the apple. He also refrained from chewing for fear of the snake taking notice. His expression was one of total worry and fear.

Fiske nodded. _Mating season,_ he mouthed.

-o-

Reagan scouted for fire wood. Ted went with her because Nellie had said that, _"Ted will be your eyes when you're not paying attention to your surroundings. I mean, he'll keep his ears and nose and whatevers in check. He'll watch out for anything dangerous which might pounce on you. 'Sides, I thought you'd like the company."_

Reagan shook the thought away. Behind her, Ted had his eyes closed, his face in deep concentration. But whenever she took a step further, he would follow her. No matter how fast she moved, he always managed to keep up. She found his improved senses uncanny. When she threw a rock at him, he would catch it with one hand, and grin.

She would then stick her tongue out at him and turn around, triumphant.

"Hey Ted," she started.

"Yes?" Ted replied.

She paused for awhile before continuing. She picked up a fallen branch and added it to the lot she had gathered on her arms. "How do you find the blind world?"

She could almost _hear _Ted smile. "It's peaceful, actually. And much more pleasant."

"Pleasant? Why's that?"

"I can hear, smell, feel, and taste things. With these, I try to imagine an image of my own."

Reagan nodded. That _would _be useful when at home. When her dad's shouting commands at them, she could imagine that he was ordering them to do chores while he was reading a newspaper. But what he would actually be doing is holding Madison up by her feet. He would have his balled fist on one hip and swing her around.

"That's nice," Reagan muttered.

She again stooped down to pick up another branch. When she turned around, Ted was there. She gasped. Then, he raised his hands to her face. Inches from her skin, he withdrew his hand. "I want to touch your face. So I will know how you look."

On his face, she read curiosity and amusement. With his eyes closed, he almost looked as if he was talking in his sleep. She almost laughed at that. "As long as you don't take too long."

Ted nodded. Gently, his fingertips touched her forehead. His thumbs grazed her cheeks, lingering on her cheekbones. She could feel her cheeks flame up. She frowned for allowing herself to do that. Then, one of his hands was cupping her jaw. His thumb was touching her lips. She was able to feel a jolt of electricity rush through her body. They both flinched and Ted took both of his hands back.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

"Be grateful I'm not holding wood, Starling," Reagan threatened. "Or else, you'd be beaten up by now."

She heard a gentle laugh. It was musical, like the classical songs mom would play whenever dad wasn't home. Suddenly, she was having one of those flashbacks wherein she would watch her mother wipe the table. Mom was smiling to herself, and sometimes, she would close her eyes and her whole body would sway to the music. At times, she would also hum. Reagan would laugh and mom would tell her to join in, too.

That was the only feeling of safety she had within her home.

"Reagan," Ted urgently said her name as he placed his hand on hers.

Reagan again blushed. "Ted, take your hand off of-"

"Ssh!"

Reagan faced the direction which Ted was facing. His eyes were open again, looking into the darkness in the shrubs and behind the trees. Crickets sang in choruses and they heard an owl hoot nearby.

They heard a growl.

"Lion?" Reagan said.

Ted shook his head.

The roar grew louder and louder. Reagan felt the ground beneath her tremble and birds retreated into the sky. She saw a black figure move towards them, snapping trees and sticks on the way. Reagan stood in front of Ted who was wrestling to stand in front of _her._

The shadow emerged, and a huge, black bear appeared.

-o-

"Bull's eye," Phoenix muttered as he looked at Natalie's knife hit the black mark on the trunk of the tree fifteen feet away.

Natalie stood and walked to the tree. She retrieved the knife, and stared at its blade for a while.

"You have knife throwin' skills!" Phoenix exclaimed.

Natalie walked back to her spot and sat down. Then, turning her knife over and over on her palm, she said, "I know." Squinting one of her eyes, rocking her knife back and forth for a few times, she reached back, and threw the knife once again. It hit the target.

"That's amazing, Natalie," Nellie said while she turned the bird on the stick over the fire. "So how come you carry around a dart gun instead of a knife?"

She fingered the edge of the blade. Memories came rushing back to her in a flash. Memories of her mother holding a knife in one hand.

_She eyed the black spot in the middle of the far wall. The dagger she held was gold, decorated with diamonds and pearls, with the elegant signature of _Kabra_in the center. Isabel stood straight and tall, deadly and beautiful. She flipped her hair back, aimed, and threw the knife. It hit the dot, making her grin._

_"Your turn, Natalie," she said._

_Natalie was a mere seven year old. She held her own knife. It was leather, and plain. However, when she will complete her knife throwing training, Mother promised her the Kabra knife since she was much better at the sport than her brother. She recalled her mother's reminders: keep your back straight, your eyes trained on the goal, swing your hands a couple times to get the hang of the knife, position your arm, then throw. All these, she followed diligently. And all the targets destroyed, and hit. Her mother was so proud._

_Until this last lesson._

_She missed the dot by an inch. The sun's light reflected on the Kabra knife, blinding her, and breaking her concentration. Her mother then had grown mad as she retrieved both knives. Standing by the wall on the other side of the room from Natalie, she smiled a poisonous smile._

_"Disgusting," her mother muttered as she lightly chuckled. "You could throw a knife at a moving bird's eye twenty meters away."_

_"I'm sorry, mother," Natalie apologized. She recognized that tone of voice. Isabel was again looking down on her daughter, scolding her for being so incapable of doing certain simple things. That tone of hers was cold, and defined the whole personality of Isabel Kabra._

_"You could hit the _eye _of a _moving bird_!" Isabel now shouted. "And you could not hit a tiny dot on a _stationary _wall _five meters _away! Are you that weak? That you could do the almost impossible ones and not the simple ones?"_

_Natalie was then crying. "Mother ,I-"_

_"DO NOT CRY!"_

_And so, she had stopped crying. There was a long silence in the steel-bordered room. The only movements came from the light that reflected off the knife which shone on and off as Isabel turned it over in her hands._

_"This will _not _happen again," Isabel said venomously._

_Young Natalie vigorously shook her head. "No, mother. It will not."_

_"And I will make sure of that."_

_The knife whooshed past Natalie and it cut her bicep deeply. She cried, the sound echoing throughout the room. The blood streamed down her arm, into her violet silken dress and into the polished floor. The knife collided with the wall behind her and left a red signature on it. She tried to apply pressure on the wound, just as her father had once shown her. She calmed her breathing to slow down circulation and to try to minimize the blood flow, as Ian had once explained to her._

_Her mother looked at her with a hardened expression which just melted when the news got out of the house._

"Since then, I vowed to myself never to hold a knife ever again," Natalie said, her voice dropping almost immediately as her vision was blurred by unshed tears. She blinked, and teardrops fell to the ground.

"I'm really sorry, Nat," Phoenix said, stroking his ankle gently.

Natalie shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "It doesn't matter now," she sniffed. "She's out of my life and so is that promise." She stood and turned away, walking into the darkness of the forest. "Just as the old Natalie."

She walked on, the knife in her hand. She willed all the memories to disappear from her mind. She had opened the chest which she forced herself to not even look at again. And now, all the images resurfaced, making her whole body shiver. Nightmares which a normal girl would experience only in dreams, scenes which creative writers and children would only imagine, and events which would have any parent or adult faint at the sight of a young girl enduring them. She's seen them all.

She's done them all.

She was too engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the thin fishing line which she had tripped over.

* * *

><p><strong>whoa...suspense! Haha... Well...those cliffies are pretty annoying. No pressure though!<strong>

**-blackraven88: I am currently wondering as to how come you get to be the first to review in almost all my chapters...do you have ESP? hehe. jk. I am very sorry but with your possible answer, it is, however, the incorrect one.**

**.Death: lovin the name, dude! XD And with Evan/Sinead, _revolting _was just the perfect name for it...no offense to Sinevan shippers, though! And even with my love for the chipmunks, I also find myself laughing at those singers who sound like em...hehe.**

**-nellieawesomegomez: awesome! so you're neighbors with Finnick? :D You are correct! hehe..oh and , if you were to give me five pesos everytime I read about someone choosing Amian over Jamy, I'd be super rich by now! ^^ And you're right...where HAS been Dan all this time? Hmm...I wonder...**

**-addicted2reading9: Yeah...just realized now that it isn't a question...sorry. Haha...all of us get confused with things like where certain animals live...the right habitat? I dunno either. So anyways, thanksalot!**

**-amianfreak19: no...I didn't know you were an amianfreak! *note the sarcasm* :D and even if you were wrong, you at least tried! good for you!**

**-KTRose12: another correct answer! Yeah..I know about the Twelfth Night...And with Tolliver, yeah. I bet noone would actually hate him if he weren't keeping Amy's door closed...hehe. and with your idea for a hottie fight... Wow..I can already imagine it. And I am so dazzled. XD I so swear on the River Styx to update as soon as I can from now on!**

**-Hostage2: Don't worry! I'll make sure to read 'em...so long as you keep on reading this one! hehe..**

**-amitaffy23: dude...it isn't a birthday party... It's a meeting! Jk. your answer is correct, btw.**

**-amianfan102: haha...I had hoped that it didn't sound awkward, or anything like that. I'm really happy you guys liked it!**

**-BookwormGirl16: an amazing choice for a scene, dude! haha...and why am I not surprised that she will probably choose Ian? XD and you are correct AGAIN!**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: So true...so true... the most "decent" Ian I know calls himself my son...awkward.. hehe.. Anyways! The pink to red to creme phases were probably the most fun things I wrote about for FF! haha...this site truly is addictive.**

**Answer to fourth question:**

**_Step on the river, and cross. The crocs and gators are attending the meeting._**

**__Congratulations to nellieawesomegomez, KTRose12, amitaffy23, and BookwormGirl16! For your prize, you get to give me characters and SUPERPOWERS! haha...then, I'll incorporate them with a suitable scene from the 39 Clues series, either the first or second series.**

**ex. Holts with super strength and Dan with ninja skills**

**during Grace's funeral, when Madison holds Dan up by the foot, he fights his way out, ninja style! wahahaha...**

**so...R&R ladies and gentz!**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Nellie: And the chapter eleven's gon' be a _rocker! _And it's gon' _rock!_ And it's gon'-**

**Amy: Dan, what is Nellie singing?**

**Dan: Oh, nothing. Just a song she made up about the next chapter.**

**Amy: You mean chap eleven?**

**Dan: Yup.**

**Amy: How? Has she read it?**

**Dan: *nod***

**Amy: But how did-**

**Nathan: Oh yea! Sing with me, Nellster!**

**Nellie and Nathan: _We read chap eleven. We hacked 'em from slurpie97's laptop. She don't no own the 39 Clues but she does own The Aftermath! And yo better watch out 'cause chap 11's gon' be about AMMIIIIIAAAAAANNN!_**

**Nathan: *imaginary guitar***

**Nellie: Oh yea! Shred that guitah, Nathan! Weeeew!**

**Ian: Can't a superstar get his very much needed beauty sleep around here? Hello?_  
><em>**

**Jonah: I second the motion, homie.**

**Me: Ayyay yay!**

* * *

><p><strong>Boss, you might wanna check these out. -N<strong>

Ian received the message in his mail. Upon reading, he sat up straight. Nathan rarely got excited over things. And depending on his letter, he _definitely _seemed excited. Ian, as a Lucian, should know things like this.

He downloaded the file and extracted it, a tingly feeling rushing through his whole body. He knew this feeling. He usually experienced this before a business meeting and usually, he always ends up victorious with a _very _successful deal. So now, he regarded it as a good thing.

As the extraction had completed, he gaped at all the documents which had been sent to him. He has seen horrible things in the Lucian database. He saw "planned accidents", strategies of certain Lucian war leaders, concoctions which could render a man dead in a minute, and blueprints of apocalyptic weapons. As a child, he had ignored all these, thinking that they were all essential to Father and Mother's work. He had understood them all for he underwent training fit for a college student at a very young age. The difference was that the lessons were far more sinister and devious. But now, as Ian sat in front of the master monitor, he couldn't make his jaw close by itself.

There was one file which contained hundreds of documents. This folder read, **Lionhead Forest Headquarters.**

"What's that?"

Ian nearly doubled over. The voice was Amy's, and until Nathan's message, her conversation with Evan was what dominated his mind.

"Ian, you alright?" she now held on to the back of his chair.

Ian rubbed his jaw and nodded. He fumbled through his mind for something to say but all he could think of was, _Did you break up with Evan because of me?_

"Is that a Vesper file?" Jake asked from beside him.

Then again, Amy and Evan had talked about Jake too.

"Yes. It is," Ian said, opening the folder. "My agent came through. He sent me just one folder for safety purposes. But he had assured me that more had been retrieved."

Jake's lips curved up and he smiled. Ian frowned at him. He is _almost _as good-looking as Ian Kabra.

"_'Sector Booby Traps'_?" Amy read. "_'Forest Blueprint', 'Animal Biodiversity', 'Secret Cabins',… _Ian, what _are_ all these?"

Ian ignored her. He quickly clicked on _Sector Booby Traps _and he found himself opening up several documents. Pictures flashed by. His blood was now rushing quickly. _Such technology!_ Certain triggers camouflaged in the forest could easily trick even a trained spy. These triggers activate arrows, darts, quick sands, wake ferocious animals up, and more. In certain parts of the forest are land mines concealed in the ground. There are genetically engineered animals, and robotic ones too. Within the forest are hidden microphones and cameras which can pick any movement, and conversation up.

"The forest is a Vesper territory," Atticus muttered.

They were all silent, the pause deafeningly irritating and frightening. For within the silence, Ian's mind conjured several images: images of arrows shooting the hostages as they cluelessly step on a hidden button; young Phoenix Wizard getting bitten by a silent snake programmed with a lethal poison which kills a person numbly, not letting them feel the pain in his sleep; Nellie Gomez eating an endemic and poisonous berry; Reagan Holt underestimating mosquitoes; Fiske Cahill wandering into the wrong places; Alistair Oh running for his cane in an unexpected ambush; Ted Cahill, left all alone; and Natalie Kabra playing with colorful butterflies which have dangerous wings.

The Tomas and Lucians arriving too late.

"How could they?"

Ian turned and he saw Sinead Starling standing by the door. She was a complete mess. Her hair was messed up, her clothes all wet and clinging to her skin. Her eyes were red, and so with her cheeks and nose. When she saw them all though, she ran her fingers through her hair and it straightened a bit. She walked to Ian's unit and grabbed the mouse. She started browsing through all the files, her sky blue eyes, which had turned to the color of thunderclouds, then burning with fire. Her hands were typing on the keyboard so fast that her fingers were a blur. Ned cast his eyes downwards, his expression unreadable. Obviously, he was worried about Ted, and his being exposed in the enemy's territory. Now, he must also be worried about his sister's sanity.

Jake stood beside Sinead, his face filled with confusion. "Sinead, what are you doing?"

"What else?" she growled. "I'm gonna destroy the traps they put in the forest."

"What?" Jake exclaimed. "They'll be able to track the source down! Just wait for the SuckerWare to take effect."

"I studied your ware and it won't destroy the ones in the forest. That _SuckerWare _of yours will fry only the gadgets in their base," she was looking at Jake then. "The range is so pathetically small!"

"I am currently designing a ware to take care of that-" Atticus said.

"And when will you be done with it?" Sinead snapped. "When Ted's already buried? Oh, wait. Them guys won't even find his body 'cause the worms would be done with it already."

"Sinead!" Amy shouted.

Sinead laughed cruelly. "And maybe, after they're done with him, they'll move on to Phoenix's."

Jonah's head snapped to Sinead. He stood up, his hand reaching for the phone by his belt. He had installed a homing device there which will alert Janus agents to rush to where he is at just the push of a button. He flexed his fingers, and they dangerously loomed over his pants.

Sinead shook Amy's hands away. "And guess what? Maybe Fiske and Alistair will be killed too. And you know how they'll be killed?" She looked at Ian who was fiddling with the keyboard. He returned her glare and his hands froze. "Nat the _Vesper_ will slice their throats open!"

Then, Jake restrained her, wrapping both his arms around her waist. She wiggled to get free. She screamed, cried, and called Ted's name. She shouted words which must not be heard by a child. She pulled on her hair, threatening them to fall off with the force she's applying. Then, she cursed people. She cursed Vesper One, Casper, Cheyenne, her parents, and Hamilton Holt.

Then, Ned started to scream.

He dropped to the floor, clutching his head and curling into a ball. His screams were bloodcurdling, especially as it reverberated through the room. One could almost see his head split in two. His veins stood out on his temples and neck, his hands fiercely pushing his head and his eyes closed so tightly. Tears continuously streamed down his eyes, and they snaked into his shirt and hair.

Evan ran to him and pulled him up to a sitting position, rubbing his back gently. Meanwhile, Sinead was still muttering senseless things, her thunderous eyes glowing with ferocity. Her red hair was flaming all around her, like fire. Right now, she looked like an uncontrolled flame. A flame which could swallow everything in just the blink of an eye.

Then, Amy slapped the back of her hand across Sinead's face.

Everyone was silent. Ian had his eyes shut, and his lips were moving. Jonah dropped his hands to his sides, forgetting about the phone. Atticus was now pushed up against the wall, his face pale. Dan murmured words of reassurances to him but Atticus just shook his head, his large eyes never leaving Sinead. Evan was pushing a glass of cold water to Ned's lips, and he drank willingly. Even though Jake was behind Sinead, his arms wrapped around her stomach, he was looking away, as if scared of Amy.

And Amy, well, she gave the word _nightmare _a new meaning.

Her eyes were red but she was not crying, nor were there evidence of tears. Her jade eyes were the color of dead plants: gray and green, wilting and weak. Her expression was stony and firm, her attention trained on Sinead alone.

"How could you, Sinead?" Amy muttered.

"For stating a fact, Amy?" Sinead replied.

Amy shook her head and grabbed Sinead's shoulders, forcing her to look at her. "For throwing your hope away."

Sinead weakly chuckled. She was looking at her feet, her head tilted to the side. A frightening smile formed on her face. "I'm being realistic."

"We are Cahills, Sinead."

"The very damn reason why we are in this hellhole!" Sinead's voice thundered. "You know what? If only Ned, Ted, and I hadn't gone to the gauntlet back then, none of this would be happening to us. Perhaps my brothers would even be healed right now!"

Amy blanched. She looked at Sinead with a softer expression, her eyes slightly lighter than before. "If you hadn't gone to the gauntlet, we wouldn't have been friends."

At this, Sinead's head shot up, and slowly, her lips crept up into a smile. "You know what? I guess I wouldn't have cared."

Amy felt tears pool in her eyes. Immediately, she turned around so no one would see her. She breathed heavily, a feeling of pain shooting through her whole body. She then recalled all those moments before the kidnappings. Sinead, Amy, and Dan had lived like siblings in the manor, just laughing and playing the whole day through. Sinead would be able to develop a new gadget, and Amy would be the first to know about it. Dan would be the first to try it. They had been a cozy little family, Sinead being the big sister they never had.

"I think you need to go to your room," Amy murmured.

Jake then let go of Sinead's arms. At that moment, when she noticed Amy's back shaking, Sinead realized what she had just said. She felt a hundred tonnes of weight drop on her shoulders, and push her down to the ground. She had never made Amy cry before, not ever. They were best friends, spending every minute of the day they could with each other. They share information, and these they put to good use. They made a great team, and they had proved that during the quest to satisfy Vesper One's demands.

_When did I change? _Sinead asked herself.

"Amy," she reached for her best friend.

Amy shook her head and sniffed. "Go to your room, Sinead. You need to cool down."

With that, Amy walked out of the CCC and slammed the door behind her. Sinead turned to the master monitor in front of her and she saw her program there, unfinished. The cursor was blinking, awaiting the next letters to be typed. She looked at Ian who had then stood up. His expression was of pure disgust and anger. He glared at her, and with the grace of a snake, he walked to where Amy had gone. Jonah was leaning into the monitor which he was stationed at. He had headphones on and he was typing something.

"Jonah," Sinead called.

Jonah held a hand out to her, palm out. "Ames is right, 'cuz. Yo need to chill. 'Fore you cause anymore damage."

"What happened, Sinead?" Jake asked.

Sinead looked at Jake and saw that he was glancing at the monitor. She knows that he is a smart man. After all, he was the one who created the design in the first place. Now, he looked at the screen as if it was roaring at him, scaring him. She had considered the consequences of trying to hack into the Vesper system from the units in the CCC. Almost immediately, Vespers would storm into the mansion and abduct them all. And the hostages will never get out of Lionhead forest alive. If the Vespers won't get to them first.

Sinead let her head drop down. She wanted the tears to come but none did. Perhaps she had shed them all, over the little things. She freaked out when Hamilton went to the forest. _ But why did she? _ He had a right to do as he pleased. He is a man already_, that_ she understands. He's no longer fourteen. And he was never her responsibility in the first place.

"I became a Cahill, Jake," she looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "I woke up."

Then, stooping down to where Ned was, she hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, still panting. They were both caked with sweat and tears, their clothes and hair wet. But they still were family, even if Sinead might have lost her connection to Amy because of that outburst of hers.

Jake stared at the program for a short while. Then, he turned around. "You're a brilliant person, Sinead," Jake muttered, fingering the keys. "I would appreciate it if you didn't throw that talent away."

Sinead sniffed one last time as she stood. Removing her brother's arms from her neck, she handed him over to Evan who led him to his room. Once they were gone, Atticus and Dan excused themselves from the Center.

"You woke up to a nightmare, Sinead," Jonah said from his place. "I am requesting you to wake up once again. Have some trust in us, please. Accept that we can do anything as the next generation of Cahills. Believe in our bond."

Jake sighed. All this drama was making even Jonah Wizard sappy. Just a few weeks into this mess they call family, and he'd lose _his_ sanity too. He'd done his best to extract Atticus and himself from all this. But Atticus had insisted, saying that _"It is my duty to guard whatever it is I should guard. And right now, what I feel up to guarding is their family"_.

"Believe in the Hammer," Jonah continued.

At this, Sinead looked up at him. She was silent for a while, her eyes restlessly wandering through the Center. The color had returned to her face, save for her eyes, which were still gray. Her hands were fisted at her sides, and her gaze directed to the tracking monitor which bleeped with several red and blue dots.

And she left.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Haha...four days? Sorry if it took so long...and I am so horrible! Before I updated, I watched <em>A Walk to Remember.<em> It was such a sweet and cute story...so sad, too. I just hate it when the movie's so different from the book. It happened horribly for _The Hunger Games_, though it worked for _A Walk to Remember. _And I am prayin', just _prayin', _that the _39 Clues The Movie _will be AMAZING! Or else...OR ELSE!**

**I dunno...haha. JK.**

**-KTRose12: a very reasonable super power. And yeah...I've been thinking about Ted and Reagan's age gap...I think it's five years. Reagan's thirteen and Ted's eighteen...but I guess I have a thing for huge age differences when writing a story. It, like, proves that love is unconditional and that age doesn't matter. hehe...being dramatic now, I know. ^^ And with school, I think you just gave me another idea...mwahahaha!**

**-clara0414: to tell you the truth, I was actually waiting for your review. I was all like, "When I log in, and she has reviewed, I'll update. If not, I'll continue editing." So edit, edit...and finally, when I logged in again that time, and you still haven't reviewed, I just thought, "Just update. She'll review soon." And so I did. Ta-da! hehe. Ooh..interesting trick question, though...what's the answer? :*) And thanks a lot for saying that I'm improving. I'm pretty impressed, too. XD And kudos for you for actually liking suspense! I, for one, would detest the author if the story ended in such a cliffhanger...haha. **

**-nellieawesomegomez: a VERY good idea for super powers. I am also a fan of the elements...haha. And whoa...what I would _give_ to be neighbors with the ODAIR! haha...**

**-BookwormGirl16: Yeah..the Teagan ship's a bit low on crew members...actually, it's calling on SS Deagan to spare some mates of theirs 'cause the deck's gettin' a bit filthy..:D And yeah...my son, Ian, is actually the COMPLETE opposite of Kabra...minus the part that girls go gaga over them. And I think I'm getting a lot of action story suggestions! I hope you guys like my fighting description style...**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: Wow...now that you mention it, Nat _does _remind me of Clove. Clove is superbly pretty, by the way. :))) And with the mating season and Teagan scene, I didn't notice that! Haha...what a coincidence. But just as Jamie Sullivan would say, "There are no coincidences." **

**-amianfreak19: ditto on hating Isabel! truly, deeply..**

**-addicted2reading9: oh wow...I didn't notice those...congratz to you for being an amazing analyzer! haha...and just as the others, I didn't notice that what the Ekat and Tomas were facing is a _bear._ I guess that even if an elephant will walk infront of me, I won't know that elephants actually existed in our province...XD and yes, dear friend, all those events are happening at the same time, just like the kidnappings. haha...**

**-blackraven88: well...that's convenient. And ironic! when I said that you were usually the first to review, this time, you were the last...oh well!**

**please keep on reviewing because the more people who review, the quicker I update! i don't exactly know why but...still. PLEASE REVIEW! O.o**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Five days? Four? I don't even know why I keep track... :D I guess it's because I don't wanna keep disappointing you guys! I also keep thinking about how OOC I made Ian in this chap..haha. I hope it's not too bad, though.**

**Anyways... ENJOY!**

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><p>Amy swore to herself never to cry again. But she realized that if you are a Cahill, there will always be something which will make you cry, no matter how hard you force yourself not to.<p>

As she sat staring at the sky on the balcony, the view somehow calmed her. She was once again at peace, even when her mind wasn't. The manor was situated somewhere far from the highway, and just beside some trees, which later on, turn into forests. She could feel the cool breeze tickle her face and hair, persuaded her not to cry. She didn't want to. However, when she found out that the hostages were released in the middle of the enemy's territory, which at the same time was crawling with booby traps, cameras, microphones, and such, a tiny speck of hope faded from her. And as day after day passed by, without them hearing anything from the hostages, this hope of hers continuously disappeared bit by bit. As Sinead snapped, Amy of course considered her situation first. But even with problems such as those, she has no excuse to be inconsiderate of others.

Amy chuckled to herself. "Is this how you wanted us to turn into, Olivia?" she shouted into the sky. "You wanted us to unite, didn't you?"

She looked up. It had quickly become dark, the moon floated amidst feathery clouds of orange and red. She was staring at the lone star beside the majestic ball. It was merely a dot, yet its light seemed to tell her that she wasn't alone. That it was more than just a sphere of gas and fire. She shook her head.

_You're not a dot. You're gigantic. You're just lightyears away._

"Well?" she demanded, her feet tapping on the rail. "Is _this _the vision you had? When we were already getting along, some…_demon _just had to come and rip us all apart!"

She felt a tear drop on her hand. She gripped the rail tighter, and tighter still. She wanted to just grip the steel until it had formed to the shape of her clenched fingers so she will know that she still had some of that Madrigal fire in her. She wanted to know that she still had Madeleine's determination and courage to go on even after she had been betrayed by her cousin, by her _best friend._

She wanted the Amy who, before the hunt, had the gut to go around the world, even though she was penniless and had much more capable relatives chasing after her with the intent to kill.

Now, it felt as if everything had changed. _What happened? _Nellie agreed to be their guardian; Dan was more protective of her, making him seem like the older one; Jake, the meathead who turned them in to Interpol, was helping them; Ian was losing his confidence; and Sinead was regretting their friendship.

_What happened?_

She sunk her face in her hands and inhaled deeply. "That always happens, though." she muttered. Then, glaring at the star, she yelled, "That always happens! Just when everyone is all so happy, you get stabbed in the back just like that!"

"That sounds familiar," she heard a voice say from behind her.

She couldn't help but feel the heat rise to her face. She didn't know about whether it was from embarrassment, or anger that someone was eavesdropping on her. She settled on the latter. But it didn't really help when she recognized the silky British accent which accompanied the words. So, it was probably both.

She noticed Ian take form beside her. His expression was still as stony as she had seen when Sinead had yelled at him. His eyes were the color of hardened steel, gray and impenetrable.

"Hello, _love_," he smirked.

She noticed the way the moonlight reflected on his face. Sure, he still looked sad, but in the darkness, he seemed like a prince from the medieval times. It was easy to imagine that he was saying farewell to her before he went to battle. The intelligent glint in his eyes looked like he was about to cry, and the sad smile made him look much more appealing. He seemed so sincerely heavyhearted.

Oh how immuned she was to his charm.

"Must I remind you to not call me _love _every time we meet, Ian?" she sighed.

He shook his head. "No. For I will refuse to do it every time."

She smiled. She couldn't help but notice that Ian had changed over time somehow. Was it the way his voice had grown deeper and thicker? Or how his hair was shaggier and messier, making him look more his age? Or maybe it was how his cinnamon colored skin had grown to a lighter shade of brown?

Perhaps it was the way how he made her notice all that.

"Stubborn as mule, Ian?" she joked.

"I hope not," he replied immediately. They were silent for awhile, the atmosphere growing thicker and more tense. She could feel his presence beside her, but at the same time, felt so alone for he emitted such a cold aura. "Amy," he called.

She faced him and she saw his expression drop. His face looked blank, his eyes void of any emotion and feelings. His mouth was slightly open, as if he made no effort to close them. Most of all, he was looking down, staring at nothing.

"When you said that last line, were you thinking about all those times I betrayed you?"

She squinted her eyes. "Of course not, Ian. I have forgiven you already, remember that."

"_I_ haven't," he said, still unmoving.

"What do you mean, Ian?"

Then, he looked at her. The warm amber eyes he usually greets her with were now dark, bottomless orbs, staring at her with sadness and desperation. "I still haven't forgiven myself."

"Why not?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know." He looked at his hands, as if he could find the answers there. "Maybe it's the way Natalie used to always look at me with her joking and mocking eyes, taunting me, telling me that _she _will never forgive me unless I revealed to everyone my biggest secret."

"Do you mind if I asked you what secret that is?" she whispered.

She realized then that his gray eyes had acquired their raven black color. He smiled at her, still a dreary smile. "Have you heard of the story about the Merchant and his Mule?"

She shook her head and he grinned. This time, he looked a bit happier at having known something she didn't.

"Well," he exhaled. "There was once this very wealthy merchant who had purchased a valuable mule. He trained it until it grew to be the most intelligent animal in the country, and so the merchant was very proud. But one day, the merchant went on a journey to the other side of the country. He left the mule in care of his servant, a peasant who had barely enough food for his family, let alone any to feed this mule." He grinned wider for he saw that she was getting interested in this story of his. "Well, this mule is very spoiled. It would not eat anything if it isn't food fit for a jousting horse."

She giggled. "A jousting horse? Really?"

"A jousting horse eats a remarkably huge amount. He is rather picky as well," he explained. "Back to the story. Well, he is very spoiled. And thus, the peasant has a very hard time feeding him. This peasant, however, is very determined to not let his master down. So he goes to the town chef and offers to work for him in exchange for a plate of the house specialty at the end of each day. He was able to get the job, and for a while, their little arrangement worked. However, though, the mule got tired of low-class food that he went on a strike."

She clucked. "Such a horrible little thing."

Finally, he laughed. "Indeed. So he refused to eat. The peasant was so infuriated that he also refused to feed him. The peasant, however, was not without mercy. Every single day, he would lay out a plate of leftover food for the mule. Whether the animal ate it or not is up to the mule."

She watched his expression lift. His eyes returned to their amber color and his melancholic façade disappeared.

"The mule starved. It had grown dangerously thin, and still, it refused to eat the food. Until one time." At that moment, he locked eyes with Amy and he held their gaze firmly. "It went to the window and saw the peasant offer his family one whole grilled tomato and one cob of corn. The family was made of five people, and they all shared the food amongst themselves. Over by the other table was a plate of two tomatoes, one half potato, and a half cob of corn. The mule watched the peasant and his family finish their dinner. Once they were done, the peasant took the plate which was on the other table out, and he placed it on the mule's tray."

Amy gasped. The sun had already set and it was dark out. The only sources of light were the moon and the star, so with the lamps and the lights from the manor. In the darkness, he saw her eyes widen at the surprise. Her jade eyes twinkled with delight.

He smiled and chuckled. "After the peasant had left, the mule couldn't help but feel a certain tingling inside of him, a tugging at his chest which didn't disappear the whole night. The mule just looked at his tray, the flies feasting on the tomatoes, potato, and the cob. He felt bad, and he didn't know why. Perhaps it was for the peasant, or just self-pity." His original facial features returned. He looked more superior and sure of himself. "The mule was hungry so he thought, _'Why not?'_ He nibbled on the cob, and he felt better. He ate, and ate, his hunger soon disappearing. When he looked at his tray, only a kernel-free cob remained."

"_Kernel-free?_" Amy repeated. "Really, Ian?"

"Don't disturb me," he smiled. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. And with the days that followed, the mule and the peasant had grown close. _Very close. _However, under the influence of the peasant, the mule forgot about the trainings he had under the merchant. The peasant brought him to the farms and taught him how to toil the land. That was soon the highlight of the mule's day for he enjoyed pulling on that wooden equipment which turns over the soil. He forgot how to roll over, to stand on his hind legs, to twirl a ball on his snout, and much more. The mule had grown to love the peasant. His days were then filled with simplicity but he was happy, nonetheless. Until the merchant returned home."

She watched him lower his head. His voice had even grown thicker. "The merchant of course came to collect his mule. The peasant and the mule did not want to part, but of course, they must. The merchant was enraged when he found out that his mule had turned into some dumb and average mule. He was mad at the peasant too, of course, so the merchant refused to give him the salary he deserved for looking after the animal. The animal ran away, and it found the house of the peasant."

"And the peasant took him in and treated him like family," Amy finished.

Ian nodded, the grin returning to his face. "_Like family._" Then, Evan and Amy's conversation popped into his mind. "Amy,"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Earlier today, I was looking for you." He turned again to the sky. "Just after Hamilton left."

In his heart, he was hoping for her to deny where she was at, to have her deny _him. _However, at the same time, he was aching to hear those words from her mouth, to hear her tell him that that geek was no longer involved with her. Perhaps _that _would give him permission to beat the man senseless.

Amy inhaled and stood on her tiptoes. "I was here," she said, with her eyes closed. "And Evan broke up with me."

He let a tiny smile form on his lips. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be. He said he-, and I _quote_,_ 'I love you as a sister. And no matter what you say, I will not date my sis.'_"

The way she said it, with her two fingers on each hand bending downwards to imitate quotation marks, was very sincere. She wanted him to know the truth. Deep inside, she wanted him to pull her into a hug and comfort her. True, she liked Evan, but getting over him was surprisingly easy. She still has strong feelings for him, but she is now positive that it is simply the love of a sister towards her brother. What was surprising though, was that he started acting all weird when he first met Ian. And even more then, when Amy introduced him to Jake. From then on, Evan had been more protective of Amy.

"Did you like him?" Ian asked.

She relaxed. A lot of people had asked her this question already so she felt somehow comfortable. She nodded, barely.

It was awkward confessing that to the person who once owned her heart. Then again, he _did _tear it to pieces just minutes after. Right now, there was something in her which was trying to keep her from telling anything else. Another part was urging her to spill everything to this man beside her.

"Why?" he asked, clenching his fists.

He had heard rumors from Natalie that Amy had a boyfriend a couple weeks after he called in to tell her that he wouldn't be visiting her. He had even been a jerk on the phone, and ever since then, he had been blaming himself for everything. If only he had gone to Attleboro that time and confessed to her, would she have given him a chance? She wouldn't even be dating that spectacles man now, would she? Is it possible, that if he had gotten the courage to tell Amy his feelings for her over the phone, she would already be his?

She shrugged. "I don't know." She was calm, her stuttering and shy nature completely gone. "Maybe it was the way he used to always help me when I was in need. And also, the way he would comfort me when I was down," she chuckled. "I think it was because of how kind he was. He never lied to me, not once. And he also always goes out of his way to help others."

Ian Kabra's_ complete_ opposite.

"I truly am sorry, Amy," Ian said. "I would also like to ask for forgiveness for all the times Natalie and I have caused you hurt."

This time, it was she who smiled sadly at him. "All those times I have forgiven and forgotten, Ian. What is only left to forgive is Sinead's yells earlier." She saw the hurt flash through his face. "I know she has a good reason for that. But even though, she shouldn't have said those horrible things."

Ian squeezed her shoulder. Amy gasped. She felt warmth spread from just that place to her whole body.

"It's true when I say that I am very worried about Natalie. But I am also hoping that that experience had somehow changed her. I want her to see the light and change from her evil ways to the Cahill side. Just as I am trying to do." Ian's eyes narrowed. "I miss her, Amy. I really do."

She fiercely nodded, her hair bouncing up and down. He didn't notice tears streaming down her eyes until he felt something cold touch his fingertips. She was even sniffling now, her eyes shut tight. She was looking away, hoping that he wouldn't see her wrecked face. "Nellie," she muttered.

"What was that?" Ian asked.

She gripped his hand. "Nellie, she was a big sister to Dan and I. She took care of us where ever we went. That trip of hers to Paris, she didn't _want_ to go. But we forced her. If only she didn't go, she wouldn't have been taken." She pushed her hands to her eyes, and she was heavily sobbing, even hiccupping. "Uncle Fiske too. We forced them both. They didn't want to go. It's our fault, Ian!"

Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back, holding on to his shoulders. He sunk his face into her hair, feeling his vision get blurred by tears. The smell of lavender filled his nose, a feeling of despair loom through his whole body. In his arms, she felt small and fragile, grabbing onto him as if he was her lifeline. He knew that he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't help it. She looked so weak, and so helpless.

"It's our fault," she cried into his shirt. "It's our fault."

He patted her head. The darkness enveloped them both, for the light in the CCC had gone out. Maybe the rest of the family was in the dining room already. But he didn't want to go. And he had a feeling she didn't want to either. He knows that to her, this is something they did at a moment of weakness. She won't accept it as something she would allow herself to do if her mind were in a normal state. But lately, everyone had been changing into different persons, even him. This was when he swore to himself that he would change, maybe not all, but most of his Lucian ways.

Because for him, all those felt so painfully real.

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><p><strong>Tan-tan: Cap! SS Amian is nearing the palace! Their captain is determined to win the princess' hand!<strong>

**Jake: Not on my watch. Tan-tan, full speed ahead!**

**So yeah...that was an awkward ending. I myself didn't know what it was supposed to mean. So I hope you guys bear with me!**

**-BookwormGirl16: A Jamy scene? Sure. I can do that...Actually, I already have an idea for this story's ending and I planned on making the love triangle as lovable as possible! XD**

**-ChasingCobra: I wasn't really sure about this side of Sinead's...just took to mind that maybe all smart, eldest, big sisters have a kind of meltdown about them...I hope I'm right! ^^**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: They're so pretty...And so ruthless! Haha..And being a Cahill is exciting! Well, having that last name, for one, already put you on the top of the list of criminals! :D**

**-amianfreak19: Whoo! Go loopiness! XD And exciting reviewers are the best! Well, they're as perky as I am on a good day...**

**-nellieawesomegomez: I'll make sure to finish ALL the stories, I swear it on the River Styx! Oh, and, man can I die happy once I see Finnick shirtless! Haha... The drama, I try to emphasize it since it's one of the major genres (the other is Romance and that one is ON THE WAY!). And so yes about the awful THG movie...so disappointed. I am praying that the 39 Clues the movie will just rock...there's something to watch out for in 2014 so we better not die on December! haha..**

**-KTRose12: Well, I LOVE writing about intense emotions! And I think I have to stop writing about crying people...this story's going nowhere. Negative comments are welcome! Please feel free to say what you think! PS. When will you update your story _Return of the Cahills_? Haha...sorry. I so love it.**

**-clara0414: It's alright...I mean, it was your comments which had me improve! And I am very happy with how I've improved over the months during summer. Usually, during vacation, my writing gets worse...have I mentioned that I have Alzheimer's? Forget that I'm still fourteen...haha. And yes, I figured that perhaps a good, and smart girl would have the worst temper tantrums. I'll do my best to add as much symbolism as I can! Well...I'm pretty drained at the moment..hehe.**

**-addicted2reading9: Wow...haha. Elephants are cute so yeah. I'd probably see it...and be all over it in seconds! Elephant! Was it the _And she left. _sentence? Well...she left the CCC...XD Is it still weird? Sorry...I'm weird too so that's probably why... :))) And yes, I do love age differences. But not too huge ones like ten years or so...now that would be awkward. Just plain awkward.**

**-TheVioletWarrior: Thanks a MILLION-BILLIONFOLD, man! Haha...I feel so undeserving! I mean, well...thank you a bunch! I hope to keep on improving and someday be an author too! Haha...and may the odds be in my favor... Happy Day man!**

**Well, I hope you guys don't mind my asking but...in the Doc Manager, once the days run out, will the chapter get deleted from the story? Or do you have to edit the doc to keep it from disappearing?**

**Thanks a lot! And please read my other story, _Under the Sakuras__! _Thanks to clara0414, Sadie A. Cahill, amianfan102, and TheVioletWarrior for reviewing! You guys are so supportive! Hats off to you! :)))**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay...so three days? Four? I dunno...haha. All I'm hoping is that you guys like my action scenes...any modification or comment is appreciated so keep the reviews comin'!**

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><p>"Ted!" Reagan yelled, trying to reach for him. He had fallen unconscious, and was lying down on the ground.<p>

Earlier, he charged at the animal, a branch in hand. Surprisingly, he was able to hit it. The bear's skin was grazed by the weapon. It was just a scratch, though, but it grew angrier. Growling with his front paws up, it came down on Ted. Ted was trapped on the floor. He tried to use his feet to kick it but the animal's stomach was too high up to reach. Then, Reagan also reached for a branch. This was more carefully picked, for she was able to find one with thorns. She hit the bear's head while it was distracted by Ted. It roared, standing once again. She yelled for Ted to run away, and to hide. He shook his head.

He then disappeared. Reagan then jumped on the back of the bear and held on by his fur. He swayed, roared, ran around, hit trees, did everything to get Reagan off. Still, she hung on, and slowly climbed until she had reached his shoulders. The bear's claws reached for her, sharpened and glinted in the moonlight. They managed to scratch her back, long and deep. She screamed loudly, and cursed. Then, she fisted her hand, and punched the bear straight in the snout.

The bear wildly flailed to the side and she lost her grip. She went flying, and hit her back on a trunk. She grunted. She dropped to the ground on her stomach, face down on the ground. A branch fell on her back, and she yelled with all her might.

Then, Ted appeared. He was holding sharp sticks and he aimed one at the bear. The stick hit the its chest and it growled. Ted grinned. He then threw stick after stick and they all hit the animal. Soon, the forest floor around it was stained crimson. It was clear that the bear was losing. It was weakly stepping forward, and it was doubling over. But just as it was about to go down, it turned its torso, and again growled loudly.

With its remaining strength, it slapped Ted across to a tree. The bear died. Ted lost consciousness. And Reagan was trapped under a fallen branch, all her energy drained out.

She tried crawling forward. She only budged a few inches, though. Then, she gave up. "Ted," she muttered. Raising her head to look at his immobile body once again, she felt like crying. With all the strength she could muster, she inhaled and yelled, "_Why did you have to play the hero, you idiot?_" She sniffed, still refusing to cry. "I'm the Tomas here." Finally, she screamed the loudest she could, "I'm the Holt, dammit!"

She felt her eyelids grow heavier, and her vision blur. All the adrenaline had disappeared, so with all her energy. Her whole body had gone numb and she knew she was tired. She knew that she would black out for the first time ever.

And just after she saw a purple tracksuit, she did.

-o-

As the snake crawled away, Fiske and Alistair waited for minutes more to make sure that there were none left. Time passed by, with only the rustling of leaves, crickets, and owls making noise. Fiske held on to the bunch of apples he had piled in his shirt. He nervously held the edge of it, his other hand over the apples as if to protect them. He had taught himself to breathe slower, and his feet were glued in their place. His shoulders now hurt from being stationary for such a long time. But he still didn't want to move.

_"I'm the Holt, dammit!"_

Fiske and Alistair woke up from their trances. They looked at each other, panic and fear in their eyes. That scream sounded like a cat being stepped on; it was shrill and loud, and for sure, it made the hair on the men's arms stand up.

Fiske started to move but Alistair shook his head. Fiske froze, his expression full of worry. Minutes again passed, and no more snakes passed by.

They moved.

"_Reagan!_" Fiske yelled.

He ran to the direction of the voice, keeping his ears sharp for any sign of movement.

The only sign he could hear was from behind him.

He turned around and found Alistair curled up on the ground, pressing on his foot intensely. Fiske ran over to him and he found the Korean's expression distorted with pain, his eyes red, his face drained of all color, and his mouth opened at such a shape that you would think he was epileptic.

But he wasn't.

Fiske quickly removed Alistair's hands from his feet and what he saw in their place were two tiny red dots.

Snake bite marks.

"Alistair!" Fiske fiercely shook him. "Alistair!"

Alistair mumbled something, at least that meant he was still alive. "What snake?"

Alistair groaned, grunted, and his mouth opened shakily. "Tai…pan."

-o-

Nellie cradled Phoenix's head and watched him sleep. She watched his eyeballs move underneath his eyelids, and she knew that he was having a nightmare. No different from the rest of them. He is so young, and he has to endure and face all these at his age. Well, that's life. Sometimes, you get the easy one, and sometimes, you end up with the difficult one.

She can't say that she had had a childhood, though. Back when she was at Phoenix's age, her classes were drilling languages into her mouth. She was thrown into classes which she didn't sign up for. She, however, being the obedient child, went to all these classes and learned diligently. Soon, she could speak three languages fluently, land a smooth flight, drive through a traffic at ninety miles an hour, and cook the most heavenly dishes.

Little did she know that it was not her parents who arranged for these classes. It was Madame Grace Cahill herself. And it was not Beatrice who had hired her, but the Madame as well. It was Beatrice who told her what to do, it was the Madame whom she obeyed.

It was through that job that she was able to meet the Cahill kids, how she had been able to travel around the world, how she had achieved her dream to study in a culinary school, and how she got into this situation.

Thinking back, she's glad she accepted Grace's offer.

She heard rustling. Her head turned to the bushes behind the tents they had made out of twigs and leaves. She squinted her eyes, and scanned the area. Then, the leaves moved again. The training Amy had insisted she take took over her. She laid Phoenix back against a tree gently. He stirred, and went back to sleep.

She moved towards the bush, tiptoeing. She carefully stepped one foot infront of the other, her toes landing on the ground, and her heels not touching it. She spread her arms out to keep from falling, and her head was tilted to one side.

"Who's there?" she called.

The leaves rustled again, and a dark figure emerged.

He was humongous, almost twice her size. He looked down on her and grabbed her wrist. She kicked his foot and it budged only a little. He then grabbed her other wrist and pulled her up. She screamed, telling him to let her go. She kicked his stomach and he doubled over, letting go of his grasp on her wrists. She stood back and took the sharp stick Natalie had carved earlier. She pointed it at him, and behind her, Phoenix woke.

He gasped.

"Who are you?" Nellie demanded.

He then stood and moved towards her, and into the light.

"Nellie, don't!" Phoenix yelled.

"Get back, Phoenix," Nellie said, holding her hand infront of him.

"No! You don't understand!" the boy ran to her. He took the stick from her and threw it to the tents.

Her eyes widened at him. "Phoenix!" She started to run to get the stick but Phoenix pulled her arm.

"It's Ivan Kleister!" he said.

Nellie froze. "Ivan Kleister?"

The man then walked into the light and that's when Nellie saw his features more clearly. He was a very built man, at least six feet and seven inches. He had a strong, angular jaw, high cheekbones, thin, straight lips, and a sun tanned complexion which said that he's been in the sun dangerously long.

"As in," Nellie said, her expression of pure surprise. "As in the Tomas leader?"

"Yes," Ivan nodded. "And we were sent by the heads of the Madrigal, Lucian, Janus, and Ekaterina to rescue the hostages."

"Not the Tomas?" Nellie mocked.

The leader smiled. "I was disturbed during my exercise. Then again, this provided _much _better training."

"Uh-huh," Nellie sighed.

"Wait," Phoenix interrupted. "Rescue?"

Ivan nodded.

The boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Then, he hugged Nellie and told her to take everything in the camp so they can go home. He started running around and picking up their things so quickly as he sang and jumped. Nellie grinned at the sight of him. They can finally go home. He can finally see Amy, and Dan, and everyone else. She couldn't quite process them all properly. She couldn't believe it. After months of being under the constant watch of the Vespers, not knowing whether the breath you are taking was your last, she could finally see the smiles and faces of her kiddos.

Then, when Phoenix had showed up again, he carried in his arms the materials they had used and modified to use as their everyday materials. He had on his face a sheepish grin, and Nellie thought that she maybe mirrored his smile. She turned to the leader.

"Let's go home," she said.

-o-

Natalie walked through the trees, and she noticed that it grew darker as she went deeper. The grass was now to her thighs, the trees unreachably high, and their roots twisted around her like vines. She had tripped three times already. Mice scurried by her feet and into the holes in the trunks of trees. Then, she thought she heard the sound of running water. Immediately, she ran, ran into the direction of the refreshing music. She swatted away low branches which had now stooped so low. She jumped on the upraised roots, ducked under branches, dodged animals and nests and trees.

Then, when she saw water, she froze.

It was not a river. It was a swamp. It smelled so foul that she almost gagged. She could see the surface bubble, then burst, and a smoke of green appeared. It was so disgusting and repulsive that her stomach threatened to throw up the few of what she ate for lunch. And just when she turned to leave, she bumped into a man who wore a black coat. There were a few designs of red here and there, and on his breast pocket was the Lucian crest.

She then looked up, and she was staring into the amber eyes and flawless skin of the man she least wanted and expected to see.

"Hello, Natalie," his silky British accent greeted.

Natalie swallowed and felt her skin blanch. "Hello, father."

Vikram Kabra smiled at her, looking so much like Ian. He hadn't changed since the last time she saw him. However, he _did _look more frightening. Or perhaps that was just her changing more into a human, and less like a Kabra.

"What are you doing here, father?" she asked, in a shaking tone.

"Well, the magnificent Lucian leader ordered all Lucians in Argentina to scour this forest for seven lost hostages."

She stepped back, careful that she won't fall into the swamp. "Ian did?"

"Such a wonderful leader your brother has turned out to be, yes?" he smirked.

She glared at him. "You are not supposed to be in the headquarters. You should be in jail!"

He chuckled. "And so should your mother."

"So should-" Then, even her cherry red lips had turned to an ashen color. "Wh-What do-"

"Dear Natalie," he clucked. "Are you stuttering?" He tipped his head back and laughed. "Your mother will not be glad when she hears of this. Oh and yes, Natalie. I mean soon." His snake-like eyes bore into her very soul and had her hole body shivering and shaking. "She shall visit you _soon_."

Then, memories of her mother flooded her mind. Of when she had thrown the dagger at her, when she had shot her leg, and most especially, when Isabel Kabra murdered the parents of Amy and Dan Cahill.

She is free, wandering through the streets. She has her beauty to deceive people, her money to gain honor and power, her name to have people kneel at her feet, and revenge in mind.

She will not hesitate to kill, and anything which will stop her will be destroyed.

Then, Natalie lost her balance and fell to the ground, her vision blurry, full of stars and dancing shadows. _No. She can't-She can't be…_

She then used her elbows to keep her upright, her eyes pale of color and full of fear and worry.

"What do you want with me?" she spat.

"Well, I had been issued a command to rescue any hostage I may come upon…" he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I have special plans for _you_."

With a venomous Kabra smile, he lifted his dart gun, so very similar to Natalie's old one that she couldn't help but scream, and shout for help. With a final chuckle, he pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p><strong>Why do I keep on torturing Natalie! No...I'm horrible. Hehe. Oh, and, thanks to clara0414 for answering my question!<strong>

**-nellieawesomegomez: I think they're planning either Zac Efron or Grant Gustin to play Finnick Odair...personally, I prefer Grant Gustin 'cause Zac is just too...thin. And for Johanna Mason, the choice is between Naya Rivera or Gemma Arterton...Gemma Arterton is my pick! XD**

**-TheVioletWarrior: Thanks, man. Totalley 'preciate it my homey. :D**

**-KTRose12: Wow! I thought I was the only one who doesn't listen to their teacher in class. Actually, I write stories instead...it got me in trouble once.. :J I'm with you in not liking getting negative comments but I really like constructive criticisms.. Oh an I've read the new ROTC chaps. I absolutely love 'em! ;)))**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: Rueful...a new word to add to my word bank! :D I always try to make my scenes as realistic as possible so people can relate to them. But just say the word if you found Ted's fighting abilities in the chapter above TOO good..**

**-amianfreak19: She didn't understand the meaning of the story...all she got was that the mule turned over to the good side. Haha...poor, clueless Amy..**

**-clara0414: Thanks again for the answer! No...the Philippines is in the Northern Hemisphere.. I even had to Google that one..haha. I suck at geography.. And yes, our generation really is laid back. Oh, and, Ian used a mule because he didn't want Amy to figure out the meaning of the story, but at the same time, he wanted her to get it...Sorry if that was confusing.. :)) And I was actually kidding when I said I had Alzheimer's...it's just that, I have a tendency to be forgetful at times. For example, I forgot the spelling of _official. _What I wrote was _oficial. _When I looked it over, I was running around, screaming, hitting my head on my armchair, and so on and so forth. I am a perfectionist when it comes to those things...**

**-AngelBreeze: Wow...good point. I also don't know how Sinead betrayed Amy...that just proves that I don't know what I'm writing half the time. And let's fangirl scream! One, two, three... AMIAAAAAANNNNN! Ehemmm.. XD**

**-addicted2reading9: Oh. Okay...we all have different tastes. Haha...but I hope you don't mind my asking: Do you approve of Natticus? (Natalie and Atticus) I find it adorable...:D I'm thinking of writing a fic about it someday...**

**Well, ladies and gentlemen, please review! If I get fifteen reviews on this chap, I think I can squeeze in chap 13 tomorrow...I have it ready but I'm thinking of editing it a few more times... I'm not allowed to connect to the internet tomorrow 'cause of chores (I got the hugest share!), and my mom hates it when somebody's relaxing while she's working. But if you guys want it, I can maybe break my mom's rule... ;D**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Before you shoot me, I want to say... MY LAPTOP HAS NO ONENOTE ANYMORE! And I hate it...that Saturday of chores? I was actually then short of eleven reviews...I was a tad disappointed so then, I had my laptop's operating system upgraded. And when it came back, my onenote was gone! That was where I wrote my stories in since I liked its environment way more than Word but...**

**I couldn't open it, so I made a whole different one. My first version was when Amy went to talk to Sinead and you'll find this one extremely ironic...Oh and, school is starting soon so I'll be logging in super less frequently since I go to a super difficult school. And thus, I promise to make the chapters longer and more interesting to make up for it. :)**

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><p>"It's been two days, already," Jake told Amy in hushed whispers. "Ted's out of the jungle. Don't you think she needs to know?"<p>

"She doesn't want anybody talking to her, Jake," Amy said, her index finger on her chin.

"She's _your _best friend. Of course she'd let you in."

Amy shook her head. "I don't think so."

She was staring up into the Cahill master monitor. On the screen was Phoenix Wizard, moaning in his sleep. There were no reported injuries, save for minor scratches on his legs, but the scientists still felt the need to examine him. Nellie Gomez was also under observation.

The Tomas and Lucians had reported four hostages found. The first were Phoenix and Nellie, and just an hour ago, Ted Starling and Reagan Holt, with Hamilton Holt as the man who found them.

_There was a bloody bear down at where I found them,_ Hamilton reported. _Two of them must'ave taken it down!_

There was worry in his voice, but his blue eyes glinted with pride and amazement.

"Amy, will you listen to me?" Jake demanded.

Amy typed into the keyboard and talked into her earpiece. She flashed Jake her index finger, and motioned for him to shut up.

He sighed.

He walked over to her and pulled out her earpiece. She protested, and told him the possible consequences of what he had done. Jake then threw the piece to Jonah, and told him to take over. Jonah saluted him, and Jake practically dragged Amy all the way from the CCC, down to the ground floor, through the grand hall (Amy cringed as she felt the painting Luke Cahill stare at her), out to the garden, and into the greenhouse she had asked be built.

It had two-storeys, the first floor occupied by flowers of all kinds, from the colorful buds of a larkspur, to the gigantic elephant ear. There were also tall trees, such as the rosary pea tree, and the elegant oleander. The inside of a greenhouse should be warm and hot, yet their environment was fresh and breezy. Grace had loved plants, especially the rare and foreign ones. And so, Amy made sure to collect as much as she could, and then hired a gardener to tend to them.

Among her collection were nightshade, buttercups, water hemlocks, mistletoe (Dan scoffed at her when she brought this one home), mayapple, and so much more. While the library was under construction, that greenhouse was her hideout from the outside world. Dan ran around the mansion on the segways they had purchased on his pleading, and it would be an understatement to say that he left a trail of destruction in his wake.

Secluded within the embrace of colorful, beautiful, and sweet-smelling flowers, these reminded her so much of Grace. This was where she found peace, and herself.

"Okay." Jake dropped her hand and looked around him. "Where am I?"

Amy reached for an adelfa and picked it. "You're in the greenhouse, Jake."

"I see that," he replied. "I also see that this isn't an ordinary greenhouse. I mean, who keeps a Venus flytrap in their backyard greenhouse?"

"I had hoped you would've learned your lesson by now," Amy said as she went to the stairs. "Follow me."

He followed her up the spiral staircase, gaped at the marble steps and oaken bars, looked up at the crystal roof, and just stared at the beautiful blue of the infinite sky. He knew the Cahills had money, and he knew that they spent it reasonably (on Amy's part), but what he didn't understand was why they didn't use this to their advantage. Why don't they hire bodyguards? Why not move to a more remote place, or buy a private island?

He thought he had them figured out after spending nearly a year with them, but just after he had solved a puzzle of theirs, another came bouncing out.

But this greenhouse was too normal. The plants were imported from all around the world, but other than those, the things he saw were pretty much what he would see in any other greenhouse. There were lawn mowers, chainsaws, and several boxes of broken and unused things.

But of course, that was wishful thinking.

"This is no ordinary greenhouse," Jake muttered.

Indeed, the second floor of the Cahills' greenhouse was nowhere near plain. It was inhabited by rows of tables made of polished marble, with equipment at the sides which looked clean enough to belong to a laboratory. There was a gigantic oven-looking machine, the body made of iron steel. There were also flasks, test tubes, and even fermenters. Atop the tables were magnetic stirrers and beakers with boiling concoctions.

"Of course it isn't," Amy said while she shook one of the fermenters. "This is the greenhouse laboratory where we make solutions of poisons and antidotes."

"And where do you get the ingredients?"

She grinned, and pointed to the first floor.

He sighed. Of course. Why didn't he figure it out earlier? From the adelfa, to the poison ivy, all of the plants in the greenhouse had poisonous and lethal properties, ranging from skin irritation, to death. And the second floor must be a laboratory where all the extraction and combination were being performed.

Another evidence that the Cahills didn't _do _normal.

"What do you guys even need poison for?" he mused.

She shrugged. "I'd give you a hundred and one reasons if time wasn't going against us. Now," she sat on a stool and stirred a silver liquid in an Erlenmeyer flask. "What are you going to tell me that you even had to tear me away from the CCC and into this place which must be at least twenty meters away?"

"I want to convince you to go talk to Sinead," he said, and sat on a stool.

She rolled her eyes. "Not 'til a couple more days."

"What is this? You have enough courage to steal a hideous painting which raised the hair on my arms, but not enough to talk your best friend out of her misery?"

"There are just some things that should be left to heal in time."

He grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she looked into his greenish brown eyes. She saw an intensity that she had never seen before. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"I am no psychology expert but believe me when I say this," he was so close now that she could feel his breath. "In order to accomplish something, you have to make the first move."

"Oh? Is that so? I guess that's why we're sitting here right now and I'm not answering your plea," she mockingly sang.

"Yeah, you're real funny," he barked.

"Let me ask you something, Mr. Rosenbloom," Amy shook his hands away and folded her arms over her chest. "If you believe in that notion of yours so strongly, why don't you have a girl yet?"

His cheeks turned crimson and he shifted away from her. His defiant face returned and he managed a frown. "Why, Ms. Cahill? You're asking if I'm available?"

"Far from it," she immediately replied.

She smiled at him, and he smirked. This was one of the times when she could actually witness the cockier side of Jake Rosenbloom. She should detest it, but she didn't have the heart to when he acted so much like Ian Kabra. They were worlds apart when it came to personalities. Ian was more composed and secretive, the mysterious, and gorgeous wealthy aristocrat with the irresistible British accent. Jake was your typical college guy with an A- for the lowest grade, and looks which could turn heads. He was a sucker for the law, and would call on the authorities on sight of criminal activity.

But somewhere deep inside, she knew that they had one thing in common: they cared for their younger siblings, and would do _anything_ to protect them.

This feeling she fully knew and appreciated, for she had felt the pain of not knowing where your brother was for almost a whole week. It was brief compared to Ian's pain, for if she was apart from Dan a day longer, she knew that she would've gone berserk.

"Yes, I know. I'm gorgeous," Jake sang.

Amy laughed.

Once again, Jake was stunned as to how a simple change in her expression could render him speechless. The wrinkles on her forehead were gone, the color was back in her cheeks, and her jaden eyes shone. The music that emanated from her lips had him smile too, for her joy was so contagious. He then saw the tension-free Amy for the first time. She was light, and free. She was—

"Lovely," Jake muttered.

She stared at him, and she grinned. "I think you need glasses, Mr. Rosenbloom."

He shook his head and looked away. "The ladies do not like nerds."

"Whatever." She waved her hand at him.

She stood up and walked to the laminar flow chamber. She didn't want him to see the color which dominated her face at the mention of that one word. She was then vermillion red, and that word, _lovely, _kept reverberating throughout her mind as she inspected the wisteria pod which was opened for culturing.

"You look like your grandmother," he said.

She turned around to face him, and she saw him looking at the gigantic pastel painting of Grace by the glass wall. It was made by a Janus relative who was very close with Grace. That image of the former leader depicted a healthy, and superior-looking old woman, clothed in her most expensive jewelries, from gold, to diamond, to pearls. She had on her jade dragon necklace, and on her lap was her Egyptian Mau, Saladin, wearing a golden collar with an elegant, silver _S _for a pendant.

Amy knew that Grace wouldn't approve of the way they made her seem: boastfully wealthy. But this way, people would be reminded of her importance and influence to the Cahill family. She was able to travel all around the world, was extremely rich, and very serious when it came to the 39 Clues. That's why there was a crest of the six logos at the top of the painting: a golden dragon for the Ekaterina, a sapphire blue bear for the Tomas, jade green wolf for the Janus, crimson snakes for the Lucians, black for the Madrigals, and a shadowy gray and white for the Cahill.

"That's what they all say."

Amy slowly walked towards the painting and smiled to herself. "She envisioned a united Cahill family. She was the leader of this most powerful family on Earth, and made it her goal. Then, somehow, she saw it in us, Dan and I, that we would be able to paint this dream of hers. The younger generation, yes, but the adults still need convincing."

"In order to accomplish something, you have to take the first step."

Jake materialized beside her. "You're the leader of the most powerful family on Earth. Don't you think it's time to stop acting like a child?"

She looked down, surprised that his words had cut her soul. She now felt guilty, and stupid for not talking to Sinead. She was her best friend. They've gone through a lot together. Compared to the Vespers, this was just a blade of grass in the kindergarten playground.

Then, Jake took her hand in his and laid it on the elegant cursive _C _enveloped in gray. He had her touch the Cahill crest, and she was too stunned to pull back.

"You want to achieve this," he told her, locking his then minty green eyes with her jade ones. "Then you have to start here."

He directed their hands to his chest, where the steady beating of his heart could be felt. He admitted to himself that what he was doing was stupid. His stomach was somersaulting, but the feeling was so deliciously good that it felt like he would die to have it end.

An electric current was running through her whole body. Her hand was glued to his, and his eyes arrested hers that she couldn't look away.

Then, her phone rang.

Embarrassingly, she withdrew her hand and took her smartphone out.

"A-Amy here," she stammered.

She punched her head.

"_Hey, where are you?"_ Dan demanded from the other line.

"In the greenhouse," Amy replied. "Jake and I had a chat."

"_Yeah, I don't want to know how your _chat _went."_

"Get on with it, Dan," she said in a stern voice. It was all she could do to hide the nervousness she was feeling.

"_Two guys found Uncle Fiske and Alistair, and _man _are they pooped!"_

Her eyes widened, and her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "We're coming."

-o-

"Well, they seem fine," Amy choked out.

"Yeah, I guess so," Dan said. "If you count Alistair being paralyzed and blue-skinned and probably dead meat, then yeah. They're fine!"

Amy sighed. Alistair was confined in an Argentine private hospital being headed by an Ekaterina. All the hostages and injured agents were there. Five of the hostages were being prepared to send back home: Nellie, Phoenix, Reagan, Ted, and Fiske. Alistair was being kept in the hospital for it was too dangerous to move him.

"What do you mean you don't know how to make antivenom for taipan?" Ned exclaimed. "You graduated college as a magna cum laude with double degrees in medicine!"

Ned yelled up at the master monitor where the image of their head scientists loomed. He was dark, and had a salt and pepper beard.

"_I am really sorry, sir, but—"_

"If you do not know how to make a solution, then why are you here talking to me? Can't you go to the laboratory and concoct one?"

"_That is the problem, sir. Noone here knows how to create an antidote which can effectively counterattack the properties of _Oxyuranus _venom."_

Amy sat back on her chair, her palm on her forehead. Sure, almost everyone was found, but most of them were seriously injured.

"I know how to make the antivenom."

Amy followed the source of the voice and saw Ian Kabra raise his hand. His face seemed to be masked by a dark shadow and the bags underneath his eyes were visible. He was slumped over, with his hand on his temples.

That was when it dawned on Amy: Natalie Kabra was not yet found.

"I know the ingredients and procedure," he said as he stood. "But there is also a fermentation procedure, inoculation, and more. Speed and accuracy are crucial when it comes to this potion as well."

"But these people don't know how to make that. Not experienced either," Ned spat.

"Then have him go there," Jonah suggested.

The CCC grew silent. They all looked at the monitors where the images of different relatives appeared. There was Jonah's aunt, Phoenix's mom. Eisenhower and Mary-Todd Holt were also dominated by the quiet, and their eyes rolled around restlessly. There were also the Ekaterina scientists and doctors who looked away in shame, in fear of their temporary branch leader.

"Marvelous," Ian announced. "I shall catch the next flight to Argentina."

He started to walk to the door but Amy caught up with him. She grabbed his arm.

"Are you going there to find Natalie?" she asked.

He refused to look at her, but instead, he cast a sideways glance. "I'm going there for Alistair."

"That's not what your body language is saying."

He paused, then shook her hand off. "I'm going there for Alistair," he turned, and she gasped as his molten gold eyes came into view. They were full of sadness, and were the most melancholic, and beautiful eyes she had ever seen. "And if he lives, maybe this drama will end soon. I hate it when I am seen with you people while you are crying. It makes me look weak and pathetic."

He walked out of the CCC. Amy grinned as she faced her other relatives. They were smiling as well, and the atmosphere grew lighter and much more pleasant. Hope has finally walked in, arm in arm with Miracle.

"You arrogant jerk," she mumbled to herself. "Just admit it that you hate seeing others cry."

She chuckled to herself as she approached the tracking monitor. The number of agents had been doubled, as the search for Natalie Kabra was getting more and more difficult. Nellie, Phoenix, Reagan, Ted, and Fiske were already on their way back to the United States, and Alistair was put in the Intensive Care Unit. The best doctors watched over him, and gave him medication, but these wore out immediately. The antidote was needed for they found out that the longer the delay, the more of his nerves were being damaged.

"Hey," Jake whispered.

"What?"

"Ted'll be here tomorrow. Talk. Your best friend. You. To her."

Amy rolled her eyes and pretended to not have heard him by taking her earpiece from Jonah. In truth, she herself wanted to talk to Sinead and solve this matter once and for all. But, she hated it, she felt immature. She didn't want to talk to her yet. She still felt bits of anger and disappointment from the outburst, and Amy wasn't ready to forgive yet. Then, there was also the matter of Sinead regretting her friendship with Amy.

Amy clutched her chest. How painful it felt.

Then, just as when she thought the miracles have stopped flowing, the door burst open and a loud voice reverberated throughout the room.

"Wassup, Cahills?" shouted Madison Holt. "So you found Reagan?"

Ned nodded and motioned for her to go over to him. She galloped, her arms swaying along as she hopped. "Lemme see," she insisted.

The picture of Reagan sleeping on her side in her room was then on the screen. She looked serene, and beside her, holding her hand, was Hamilton Holt.

Madison chuckled. "Ham's holding her hand. How girly." Then, she walked to Amy. "I'm here. And ready to work. Where can I get some of those fancy earbuds like you have?"

Amy glanced at Madison Holt and noticed for the first time that her eyes were so much like Hamilton's. When she moved, she also had the clumsy and proud air and posture of Hamilton Holt. When she spoke, she first inhaled then boomed out her demands in a voice which could deafen one.

_So_ like Hamilton Holt.

"First," Amy said. "I want you to talk to someone."

Jake saw the look in her eyes, and he didn't like the feeling that came with it. She was planning something big, yet she planned it discreetly. Her eyes wouldn't rest on a single thing, and her body language didn't correspond with what she said.

Yep. Definitely planning something.

And he swore to himself that he saw that same look on Jonah Wizard and Dan Cahill.

* * *

><p><strong>Jake: Aww...Ian. What beautiful eyes you have.<strong>

**Ian: Get outta my way, you third-rate git.**

**Jake: It looks like I get to enter the palace first.**

**Ian: Hey!**

***race into palace...Jake gets in first...Jake draws drawbridge and Ian is left outside***

**Jake: And another one bites the dust.**

**There! Wew. To Jamy shippers, there's your demand! Wee!**

**-addicted2reading9: Yes...you're quite right. How about Amonah? Hehe...I'm trying to conduct a survey about the most favorite couples (aside from the obvious ones: Amian, Jamy, Natan, Hamead, etc.) And I thought of taipan because in the 6th book (was it the sixth?), that was what Isabel dropped down the tunnel while the protagonists were trapped. So...get the message? :D **

**-nellieawesomegomez: yeah...Finnick has to be big enough to carry Peeta around...so...Taylor Lautner? Haha...And totally ditto with loving Gemma Arterton. And I totally was tempted to break mom's rule...it's just that, she had my laptop under lock and key! (she doesnt know, but I have a duplicate. C:)**

**-amianfreak19: drama indeed! haha...wow. Are you psychic or something? The Vikram hands Natalie over to Isabel bit was what I actually had in mind... :J And no...poor clueless Amy. Haha..**

**-AngelBreeze: oh wow. You actually liked the Nellie-Phoenix moment? Haha...I didn't expect THAT couple to come out. Just kidding...**

**-EkatRavenclawChildofWizdom: That's amazing! That's just how I am when I find a really cool story to read...and I didn't think this one would turn out to be that famous. :D Anyway, are you really Ravenclaw? haha..**

**-clara0414: I actually got five reviews the first time,...not counting yours, there were four! :D And no, the _except _wasn't pathetic...this one is: I once spelled _was _as _wass. _LOL. And no...I don't think I'll be having a Nellie-Phoenix anytime soon...their age gap is ten years. Seven years is the farthest I go! C: **

**-BookwormGirl16: True..what my mom doesn't know won't hurt her...but she always keeps me close! How come I'm her lackey and not any of my other siblings? D;**

**-cocky-gurl: haha...unfortunately, it wasn't. Well, the apple and alistair not chewing part, that I did dream. But the others are products of my completely useless and nonsensical imagination. XD**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: That was one of my favorite lines too! Well, BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY! hehe...sorry. You reviewed late, I updated uber late! (deja vu? :D) And the goal of the previous chapter was to have everyone feel sorry for Natalie...I don't know, but I kinda made make-Natalie-look-helpless my goal. Well, it seems to be working so far! (so far 'cause the climax ain't here yet.)**

**Right now, I am eating pork adobo and watching Sun Yat-sen...That was our lesson last school year in our Social Studies and I'm practically dictating the events on TV...haha. History rocks!**

**~ .twihardtribute.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yeah, I know. I probably have a death sentence... :D Four months? Three? ohmiGAWD! I am terribly sorry! And this chapter was even shorter than the previous one. It's just that, I've got tons on my hands, and some are already slipping through my fingers...hrmmph. Anyways, everyone, I think it will be a long time until my next chapter again because I've decided on doing the prizes.. hehe. So look forward to THAT!**

**PS. I might also be writing fanfics for Harry Potter...mostly Viktor-Hermione stuff... xD**

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><p>"I'm freaking fourteen," Dan yelled. "I'm not eleven anymore!"<p>

"_I'm _twelve," Atticus added.

As Dan paced back and forth in his room, Atticus fiddled with his phone. It was given to him by Jake right after the last drop-off. Atticus then modified it so it was non-traceable by anything, not even by the Gideon, and could function as a palmtop as he had downloaded all the required softwares and programs.

When they left after Sinead's outburst, Amy warned them to stay inside the room and _never _to come out under any circumstances. Dan was about to argue that since he was officially a teenager, like Amy, he also had the right to be included in the operation. But Amy, being the stubborn and boring person she was, shook her head and warned him that if ever he escaped, he would expect all his ninja action figures burnt to ashes.

"Yeah, but you're smarter than most people," Dan said as he heavily plopped down on the bed beside Atticus. "Amy needs all the help she can get. I heard that Madison's even in the CCC now. She's just being difficult."

"Amy knows what she's doing."

"I mean, she didn't even trust Madison back in the hunt. Mads was the sinister side of Reagan. And Reagan was the technological expert of the Holts. What Reag did was remarkable, I might add," he grunted. "How about me? _I _saved _her_ butt _gazillions_ of times! But is she grateful? _Nooo," _he drawled.

"Of course she is," Atticus mumbled, his head bowed down.

Dan scrambled over to his friend. He watched the genius type into the tiny keys of his smart phone. The letters took form so fast that Dan thought if he were to talk, Atticus might be able to keep up with him as he typed.

"You're supposed to be on my side," Dan reminded him.

"Mhmm…"

Dan rolled his eyes and lied back down on the bed. He tried to think of ways to amuse himself but all he could think of were those text messages he kept receiving from _AJT_.

_**I understand your contempt. But please understand. I had to do these. For you. For your sister. For Hope.**_

_For Hope. _In Dan's mind, he knew that his father was not pertaining to only his mother, but to the virtue as well. He wanted to be together with them again, and to have a happy family. He believed in this hope, and that Dan and Amy had it in them.

This hope Dan had obliterated ever since Nellie was shot.

Then, Dan shot up to a sitting position. Atticus jumped up and looked at his friend with wide eyes.

"We should go to Argentina."

"What?"

Dan grabbed Atticus by the shoulders and shook him. "I mean, _I _should go to Argentina."

Atticus shook his head. "If this is about—"

"This isn't about him," Dan said as he stared into his friend's eyes. "This is about me. And the truth."

Atticus nervously chuckled. "Amy doesn't want you to."

"What Amy doesn't know won't kill her."

Atticus sighed. Dan was being unethical again. Him go to Argentina? How could he? He couldn't conjure up a flight without stirring up attention. And he planned to go quietly. What Atticus knew about Dan was that he didn't _do _sneaky.

Then, a knock sounded on the door.

The two friends looked at each other in bewilderment. Dan got off the bed and carefully approached the door. When he looked back at Atticus, his friend merely shrugged and turned his attention back to his phone. Dan sighed, and just as he was going to touch the knob, it turned, and the door revealed an annoyingly shiny Jonah Wizard.

"Hurry," he said. "I shouldn't be here."

"_You're _telling _me_," Dan replied as he sat back down on the bed.

"Chill, cuz." Jonah took the computer chair and sat backwards, with him facing the backrest. "I couldn't help but overhear you two talk 'bout some plan."

Dan humphed. "What makes you think that?"

Jonah leaned forward. "There's a bug in every single room. And this one's ain't no diff'rent."

Dan grunted and Atticus immediately cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Don't worry, Atticus," Jonah assured. "You're safe. It's this homey I ain't so sure about." He grinned at Dan. "But no worries!" He slapped his knee when he saw Dan looking down as if he wanted to disappear forever. "Before I came here, I made sure ta squeeze in a boring tape'a yous."

"And you came here _because_-" Dan squinted his eyes at the pop star.

"Revenge," Jonah firmly said.

There were a few minutes of silence, with Dan staring into nothing and Jonah staring at Dan. Atticus focused all of his attention on his phone, making sure that he stayed neutral to keep out of trouble.

"Revenge," Dan finally said, breaking the silence. "What revenge? You've none to give. Phoenix is safe."

"You think I have to have a hostage to weep for for revenge?" Jonah asked, a stony expression on his face. "Vesper One made my girl worry. And he'll pay."

Dan was about to ask who his girl was, but he refused to get on the star's bad side by asking him to reveal his secret. He'll tell them when he's ready, this one Dan learned the hard way.

"Nobody's going in there." Dan smirked. "'Cept me."

"Then best I can give you is a ride," Jonah decided. "How does a private luxury jet sound like?"

Dan's eyes widened and his red cheeks substituted his frantic rejoicing. "You serious?"

"'Course I'm." Jonah smiled. "You alright with a ride with Hot Chelle Rae?"

Atticus smiled.

"Oh_ hell _yes!" Dan shouted.

"Good. 'Cause you're stowin' away."

-o-

"I shouldn't go in there," Madison told herself as she paced back and forth outside of Sinead's room. Earlier, Amy asked her if she would talk to Sinead for her.

_I am so busy here I haven't a minute to spare, _Amy had said.

Immediately, Madison agreed since Sinead was like a sister to her. But after Ned updated her on what had been happening, Madison grew uneasy, then uncomfortable. And as she stood at Sinead's door, she felt completely regretful.

_It's not that I don't want to talk to Sinead, _she told herself. _It's that this fight isn't mine to solve._

Just as when she was going to leave, the door opened and a groggy Sinead looked at Madison.

"Madison?" Sinead squeaked.

Madison sighed. _Guess I'm staying._

Inhaling deeply, Madison turned around. "Hi, Sinead."

Sinead was nothing like when Madison saw her last. Her hair was a rat's nest, her skin pale, and her eyes puffy. The Sinead she recalled was glowing with life, with her blue eyes that twinkled. Her energy back then was so annoyingly superlative that Madison wanted to shut it all off.

Madison pursed her lips.

"What are you doing here?"

Madison bit her lower lip and timidly rubbed her shoe on the back of her foot. She was nervous, and didn't know what to say. She knew that Amy asked her to talk to Sinead because the latter couldn't stay mad at Mads. Sinead favored Madison most of all since she found her determination and drive admiring. No matter what Madison had said didn't affect Sinead in any way. One time, she made fun of her DNA model, equating it to spoilt spaghetti with abnormal shapes and dissimilar sizes. Sinead had only smiled.

"I—," Madison broke off.

Sinead cocked her head to her room. "Wanna come in?"

Madison rubbed her scalp and looking down, she replied, "Sure."

Sinead opened her door wider and immediately, the scent of lavender entered Madison's nose. It was so strong, together with the smell of rust and stagnant water that it was pleasant and repulsive at the same time. Sinead's room had always been bright and cheerful, with its sky blue wallpaper almost indiscernible underneath the billions of notes Sinead stuck on them. Her computer nearby was always fired up and open with multiple windows, her cactus plant in the corner, and the pink stereo blasting out pop songs. But when Madison squinted her eyes, she could barely make out the computer with its black screen, the stereo piled underneath a mountain of clothes, and the sticky notes littered on the floor. Fabric, pencils, pens, and gadgets were strewn everywhere, on the bed, the floor, the ceiling fan, the dresser, and even the bathroom doorknob. The black curtains which were usually wide open now obstructed the path of light to the inside of the room.

Madison couldn't stop herself from gasping. Sinead was organized, meticulous, and very bubbly. Just stepping into the room felt like touring the aftermath of a civil war.

"So, Madison," Sinead started, lying down on her bed. "What brings you here?"

Madison picked up a toy gun that was sprawled on the floor. She pulled the trigger and a tiny pole with a banner saying _Bang! _popped out. "I heard about what happened to you at CCC."

Sinead's expression darkened. She buried her mouth in the pillow that she was hugging close to her chest. She folded her feet, and cast her head down. In this position, she looked like a tiny child, guilty of stealing a candy from the grocery store. Her flaming red hair stood out in the darkness, but was piled up like a messy fist of cotton candy on her head.

"Hey, I'm sorry but, Ned told me everything. He thought it would be nice to keep me updated," she continued.

"I bet Ned would update you on _every single thing _of his life," Sinead mumbled. She looked up to see if Madison had heard her, but the girl was browsing through the weapons in the vault Sinead had left open. The things here were just prototypes, but she was already very close to perfecting them. After which, she planned on using them against the Vespers. Now, she just wanted to throw them away because they reminded her of how she had changed under the Vespers' pressure.

"Amy told me to come talk to you," Madison neared Sinead's bed and sat on the edge, her weight pushing the foam down and pulling Sinead closer to her.

Sinead looked away and felt her cheeks burn. "There's nothing to talk about."

"She asked me to ask you if you wanted ham." Madison's face was then scarlet, no doubt embarrassed of what she just said.

Sinead furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She hugged the pillow tighter to her chest, and scooted away from Madison. The darkness hid her expression, but Madison was sure that the redhead's eyes had then pooled with tears.

"If—if I wanted—_ham?_" Sinead repeated.

Madison nodded. "Personally, I think you should talk to Amy because I understand absolutely _nothing _of what is going on in your universe. She said that hams saved teddy bears—"

Sinead giggled. "Hams saved teddy bears?"

Madison blushed even more. She immediately stood, and Sinead almost toppled over her own bed. "If you guys only wanted to make fun of me—"

"No, no, Mads," Sinead assured, trying to stifle her laughter. "Don't you find that statement funny? I mean, _hams _save _teddy bears?_"

Madison crossed her arms over her chest. "Amy said you'd know what she was saying."

Sinead grew silent. Her expression dropped. She threw the pillow across the room and it hit more sticky notes. These fell to the floor. "Amy fully knows I hate ham. And that I don't care about teddy bears."

Madison shrugged then walked over to the pillow that had hit the wall. She patted it, then stared at it for a moment. "Haven't I seen this pillow before?"

It was huge, thick, and soft, easily Sinead's favorite pillow. It had a blue pillowcase with the elegant writing _Sinead _on its surface. "Ham gave it to me on Christmas."

Madison nodded, and threw it back to Sinead who caught it. Madison continued walking around the room, picking up litter and cleaning Sinead's room. Sinead was stroking the pillow then. She remembered the reason for Hamilton's giving her the pillow. She had once told him that Amy didn't know how to pick a decent pillow, and that her head hurt from all the thin and hard ones she had in her room.

Hamilton laughed, and told him that everything she wanted could be hers if she wished hard enough. On December, she received the largest gift. It contained the pillow.

Hamilton… The last sight she had of him was when he had volunteered to go into the Lionhead forest. What exactly set her off she didn't know. What she _did _know was if he died, she wouldn't care.

Or would she?

She already had a lot of friends. And just the thought of losing even just one of them hurt her heart. She lost Ted. Her brother. The brother of hers who lost his eyesight because she insisted the stupid idea of cornering the Cahills in the Franklin Museum. She had not trusted the Cahills, and so the bomb went off, almost killing the three of them. Ned escaped with occasional head-splitting migraines, and Ted with his eyesight taken away, destined never to see the beauty of nature again, never to acknowledge his architectural works-of-art.

Her Ted…her _Ted._

"_Teddy! Teddy! Catch me if you can!" a younger Sinead taunted._

"_Sinead! Give me back my book! I'll tell mom on you," Ted cried._

"_Teddy bear's gonna cry to mommy! Teddy bear's gonna cry to mommy!" sang Sinead._

"_Sinead! Sinead!"_

"Sinead! Sinead!"

And her eyes flew open.

"You were crying. You kept yelling _teddy bear_," Madison reported.

Sinead sat up and placed her palm on her forehead. She looked down on the pillow in disbelief, then back at Madison. Madison was staring at her confusingly, and Sinead noticed that her room was once again enjoying the presence of light. The floor was clear of any mess, and the stereo was softly playing the tune of Fur Elise.

Tears had then pooled in her eyes as she hugged the pillow close to her, letting her lips touch it. Madison grabbed both of Sinead's shoulders firmly. "Sinead?"

Smiling, Sinead wrapped Madison in a tight embrace, sobbing into the latter's shoulder. "Hamilton saved Ted. Ham saved Ted!"

She had never been so happy in her life. Perhaps it was because her brother was alive, but also because she had just realized that love worked in mysterious ways.

She had come to like the pigheaded dolt.

* * *

><p><strong>Dan: Hey, Ted. Whatcha doin'?<strong>

**Ted: Eating...**

**Dan: whatcha eatin'? Ham!**

**Ted: Yeah...ham.**

**Dan: Why're you eating your savior, _Teddy bear?_ Haha. Come here, I'll give you a hug.**

**Ted: No! Dan, you butt...what're you doing?**

***Dan hugs Ted and ignores his squirming***

**Dan: You so huggable Teddy bear!**

**Ted: Crap you, Dan!**

**Reagan: Ohh...kay? Is this a private moment?**

***Both withdraw immediately with scarlet cheeks***

**Ted: It isn't what it looked like.**

**Dan: Yeah! We are _not _gay. *nervous laugh* Hahaha..**

**Reagan: You guys weren't wrestling? Okay then...**

**myGAWD! Ted-Reagan-Dan! ooohhhh,... :DDDD**

**-AngelBreeze: yup! Phoenix is so adorable and Nellie's so guardian-ey.. AMIAN SHALL PREVAIL! Though I do have a guilty conscience (I'm Amian but I also like Jamy and Amonah...oh life!). And I like turning Ian to a helpless lad...it makes his noble side shine brighter! :))) (and thus make him more loveable)**

**-addicted2reading9: Jake's suspecting the three guys (Amy, Joanh, and Dan) 'cause they have some secret agenda..hehe. Well, they're not really that innocent. And I promise that I shall be able to create a yacht called SS Amonah by the end of this series! :"**

**-KTRose12: Sorry for the 2-month update! My gosh...I kept banging my head on my wall when I kept receiving letters from FanFiction about the reviews, alerts and others...argh! Oh, uhm...I really cannot guarantee that this'll be Amian though...haha. Keeping the suspense high and all that.. :))**

**-BookwormGirl16: Yup. Why do they have us do the household chores while all they do are sit down and complain? I still can't get over...urgh!**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: amazing! However, as a Cahill, I know that Katherine Cahill's blood runs in your veins too so nothings really difficult.. (ha! how dare I say that when I flunk almost all tests..) And I'm actually planning on adding another love interest of Amy's to the story.. so watch out for that!**

**-nellieawesomegomez: Okay, now, I have a COMPLETE list of the Catching Fire cast. And I dare say: Sam Claflin is PERFECT for Finnick Odair. OMIGASS! Haha...goin' gaga over 'im righ' now.. Don't worry, I'll insert an Amian chapter soon enough...if my mom doesn't hide my laptop first...I'm getting my report card soon and I'm writing a list of all the possible places to run away to...**

**-amianfreak19: Well, my Jamy side says, "Farewell, Ian. And may you never return for when you do, you shall face the wrath of Jamy shippers! MWAHAHAHAHA!"**

**-sadie h: haha...LOL. And be disappointed for I say, "I cannot guarantee that this will be an AMIAN fic... I am promoting SS Amonah!" hehe...I think I have a death wish..**

**-Guest: Marvelous! Haha...Soon,...2 months? SORRY SO MUCH!**

**-clara0414: Well, amazing. Haha...I am torn between three ships...AMIAN, JAMY, and AMONAH...kill me now I order thee! ;""D**

**-Firestorm Nauralagos: Wow...so much compliments I don't deserve! Haha...especially the grammar part..it's all thanks to my friend CLARA0414! :)))**

**-ThisLittlePotterhead: a fellow Filipino! Indeed...and I'm sorry with you not finding your dad..I hope you do soon. Good luck with your school too!**

**-NatanIsTheBestCoupleEVER: Thanks! And I'm thinking of writing a songfic on I Want by One Direction about Natan... What say you?**

**-Arabella: myGALLEH! the names are adorable! I'll make sure to use 'em. Thanks!**

**-Big Dreamer42: Do not worry dear friend. I shall write a Jamy songfic very soon. :D**

**-Bindi6789: Teagan is I think one of the cutest pairings ever! It's one of my favorites especially considering that they have a five year age gap... :))) (when Reagan is a fresh teenager, Ted's already a fresh adult)**

**-The Gone Angel: AMIAN FANGIRL POWERS! Haha...very true. I will personally direct it if it won't be one of the most watched movies ever since TV was invented... C:**

**-Person: A marvelous username btw! And I am very VERY VERY VERY SORRRY I was not able to update by your birthday...but as a sorry gift, you can suggest to me any fanfic you think I should write (Hunger Games, 39 Clues, or Harry Potter) and what concept you'd like! I will dedicate it to you, even!**

**Well, ladies and gents! That is it! I am again TRULY VERY SORRY for the SUPER late update and I can also say that I will not be able to update this series anytime soon either. My next story though is the one dedicated to addicted2reading9! Watch out for it! HUGS!**

**~.twihardtribute.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi there! And yeah, I am alive...and I am so very sorry! I know that chap 14 took three months and now chap 15 took four. I am so very sorry (again :D). And though I didn't make this ULTRA long, it is a bit longer than the others. And in this chap, the mystery to Jonah's mystery girl will be solved! I won't make this A/N any longer so... **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>"<em>I know how to make the anti-venom."<em>

_Amy turned around to see the owner of the voice. He was tanned, with raven black hair and amber eyes. Purple half-moons beneath the eyes flawed his otherwise flawless skin. He looked pained and sad, yet beautiful._

"_I know the ingredients and procedure," he continued. "But there is also a fermentation procedure, inoculation, and more. Speed and accuracy are crucial when it comes to this potion as well."_

_Ned Starling growled. "But these people don't know how to make that. Not experienced either."_

"_Then have him go there," Jonah said as-a-matter-of-factly._

_There was a deafening silence, when thoughts crowded Amy's mind. She recalled this scene. It was of when they needed a taipan anti-venom for Alistair. The Ekaterinas hadn't yet thought to include that in their researches but the Lucians, the serpents of the Cahill family, knew perfectly well the formula to the solution. Ian was the Lucian branch leader, and he had been making the potion for as long as he could remember._

"_Marvelous. I shall catch the next flight to Argentina_," _Ian announced._

_Amy wanted to shout, to yell at him, and to command him not to go. But all she managed was a squeak. Her throat had constricted, and she felt like suffocating. The world she saw was blinding white, with the people glowing brightly. But deep down, she felt gloomy and hollow._

_She realized what a big mistake she had made then. Sending Ian to Argentina was a bad idea. He might not be able to resist the temptation of going after his sister. After he was done with the concoction, what would he do there? Probably not just sit around and watch Alistair take his baby steps. Ian Kabra was restless, and he had a gazillion of things better to do than rejoice success with someone who distrusted him._

_Amy then looked down, but a shade of auburn flitted in the corner of her eye._

"_Are you going there to find Natalie?"_

_Amy found her other self holding onto Ian's wrist. The girl was beautiful, she realized. The auburn hair was brown underneath the fluorescence but the jade in her eyes was difficult to ignore. They were bright with intensity and fierceness that it hurt just by looking at them._

"_I'm going there for Alistair," Ian told her._

_Amy noticed her tighten her grasp on his wrist. "That's not what your body language is saying."_

Oh, to be young and naïve, _Amy thought to herself._

_She almost hit herself. The signs were all there. The jerk in his legs, the flinch of his eyebrows, the restless rolling of his eyes, and the slight tremble of his jaw. He was unstable, and she should have known. Of course he would go and find Natalie. She was still a child. Fourteen years of age but young, nonetheless._

I had already experienced a lot of things by the time I was fourteen, _Amy told herself. _I had watched my house burn to ashes, cared for my brother with no father nor mother nor guardian, seen the only person I thought understood me be lowered into the ground, travelled all around the world, and many more.

"_You should've stopped him then, if you think it such a bad idea."_

_Amy turned and was greeted by Natalie Kabra. She was such a sight to behold. Her once glossy hair was disheveled and singed off, and her amber eyes were red with contempt and loathing. Her sun-kissed golden skin had turned as pale as cream and the snobbish air she used to exude was nothing more than what a corpse would._

"_You should've stopped him. You should've stopped him," Natalie chanted. "You are worthless. You should've stopped him. You should've stopped him."_

_She stopped, her face mere inches from Amy's. She smelled like the rotten dead, and Amy saw that her eyes had turned to black stones, with no whites._

"_He's going to die," she murmured._

-o-

Amy woke screaming, and with Jonah patting her back.

She panted, her hair stringy with sweat and clinging to her forehead and neck. Her breaths came in shallow ragged pauses, and still, Natalie haunted her vision.

Icy perspiration snaked down her back. She felt lightheaded, and when Jonah pressed his palm against her forehead, he told her why.

"You're coming down with a fever," he said.

"Again? I can't waste my entire life getting sick and feeling helpless!"

"Amy," Jonah chided. "You've been up all night. It's time you got some bed rest."

She shook her head and straightened. "No."

She took control of the monitor infront of her. She was browsing the files Nathan sent CCC and had dozed off on a document of someone called Deary Dire. He was sending messages to Tulip.

_I'm missing you already. Hurry up. I'm playing golf and my ball wouldn't stay still. Can't wait. ~DrearyDire._

She realized only the obvious: they were conversing in codes. That was all she had accomplished in the 20 hours she had been up. She realized there that maybe Dreary Dire had something to discuss with Tulip, and that was over something like torturing a captive. It was possible.

_D, what do you want for your bday celeb? Would you prefer orange cake? It has a sharp taste. Or chocolate? It's really good, and so smoldering amazing! Or maybe you'd want something with a bang. Rep soon. xx ~Tulip_

"Tulip's askin' Dire if he wan's knife, flamethrower, or bomb," Jonah told her. He was leaning over her shoulder.

Amy wrote that down then pinned it on her huge board which was quickly filling with colorful post-it notes. Everything she, Jonah, Ned, and Jake were finding out was written on the papers in trembling, crooked, and loopy handwritings. Most of the notes were Amy's in her tiny, neat, and careful writing. She had been in the CCC ever since the search commenced. She left only when Jake pulled her away, and when she went to the bathroom.

She also hadn't slept since, as her eyes were glued to the monitors, on the _Gideon, _and on the video of her brother in his room with Atticus Rosenbloom. She was overridden with stress. She seldom ate and sat. Her phone in the corner of the room sat alone, ringing at times. Amy failed to hear it, as her ears were also peeled out for the video the Cahill rangers sent her on their search.

"Okay." Amy yawned. "This one's pretty tricky."

She pointed to the monitor.

_My deary Dreary Dire, I can't take it anymore. I'm going. I'm gonna get my rose, and leave. I fear beauty has conquered my will to stay here. I can't say I enjoyed my days with you, but that rose is everything to me. Rose might not know who I am anymore, but I know that the green windows will see right through me and recognize me right away. I love you, though. I'm leaving? Yes. I'm breaking up with you? Yes. I don't love you anymore? No. I'm gonna forget you? No. Do I forgive you? Yes. Do you forgive me? No._

_Will you see me again? No. I don't think so. It's time for the table to turn. And stupid Valentine did that for me._

_Do I love another? Yes. I didn't mean to. It's my rose. I love that rose so much, I'm willing to change my ways. The rose, Dire. Remember the rose. Be mad with the rose all you want, just don't hurt my flower. I love that rose. I don't think I've said it enough. Carry on with your work, just don't destroy or leave my rose. I'm leaving the rose in your hands. I mean it._

_Or you'll answer to me. You know why I've been named Tulip, don't you?_

_Love,_

_Tulip_

"It's outta my league," Jonah held his hands up. "Not a clue."

Amy bit her lower lip. She squinted at the monitor and reread the letter. It sounded like Tulip was threatening Dreary Dire. Perhaps Tulip entrusted something to Dreary Dire, but the latter had something against it that he refused to do so. It was very precious to Tulip, and seemed that she had more authority and power than Dreary Dire. Now, all Amy had to figure out was the "rose".

Tulip never referred to it as a thing or a she or he. It could be anything or anyone. For all they knew, it might even be a _where_. She wrote all she had hypothesized so far, and then stuck them to her board. Jonah read the notes, his finger under his jaw.

"Well, we know they're Vespers," he said. "Could it be that Tulip is thinking of leaving?"

"You mean, quit being a Vesper?"

Jonah nodded.

Amy considered the possibility. It was a maybe. And a very strong maybe, at that.

He pointed towards some lines. "_I can't take it anymore. I'm going. I'm gonna get my rose, and leave. It's time for the table to turn_. _I'm willing to change my ways."_

Amy nodded. A very strong possibility. She wrote that down again. But no one could know for sure. Perhaps Tulip was so mad at her commander that she decided to take him down. She could also be hating her mission and so thought of leaving, in place of facing her commander's wrath. It could be anything, and Amy had no way of knowing which the _actual _case was.

Jonah squeezed her shoulder. "Hey," he called. "You're thinking too hard. I can hear the gears turning in your head. You should go sleep. I can call Jake and we'll work out the rest of the letters."

"No," she said while rubbing her eyes. "You guys were tasked to watch over the search for Natalie."

"_You_ tasked us. Besides, we don't like gettin' bossed 'round by someone less talented than I," Jonah said.

Amy chuckled. "It's still a no."

Jonah twirled the computer chair then squatted infront of Amy so he could see her face-to-face. "I want you to go and rest. Go to your room. Or better yet, go to Sinead's room."

Amy leaned forward. "I don't take orders from anyone less talented than I." She grinned.

Jonah didn't smile at the joke. Instead, he narrowed his eyes. "Please don't take everything I say as a joke. I've changed, Amy. I know that. My fans might laugh at me now 'cause I'm so touchy-feely 'bout everythin' already. One thing I _do_ know is that we are Cahills, and we will find them freakin' Vespers no matter what it took, no matter how long it takes. So I want you to go to bed, get a good shut-eye for five hours, then come back."

"But—"

"No buts." He held up a finger. "I mean it. Or I'll carry you to your room sedated and bound in ropes. Understood?"

She was silent for a while, not replying to Jonah's command. When he sang, he was Jonah Wizard, the international pop sensation. But when he was a Cahill, he was Cora Wizard, the dangerous and cruel Janus branch leader. Jonah could be a branch leader, after his mom. He was capable enough, and tough. And right now, he dared to command the Madrigal branch leader to go to her room.

She threw her head back, then groaned as she wiped her face using her palm. When she faced Jonah, she was smiling. "Fine. I'll go."

Jonah let go of her chair and she stood up. She squatted down infront of him.

"Thank you," she muttered. "For everything."

She hugged him tightly, her arms around his neck. He hugged him back and buried his face in her hair. She smelled of lavender and citrus, and of salt and tears.

"You're my boss," he whispered. "Remember that. You're my boss. But I'm still older than you so I still got me authority."

She laughed then broke away. "Bye," she whispered.

She stood the walked out the door.

When it closed, Jonah rubbed his neck then stretched it. Then, smiling to himself, he whispered, "Bye."

-o-

_Make the Cahill girl fall in love with you._

Ian woke with a start. He looked all around him, and found himself in a wide room painted all in white, save for the doors and furniture. The curtains were black, the bed gray, and the television red. He then remembered that he was in the private hospital in Argentina. The hospital was being headed by Ekaterinas and its employees were all Cahills, mostly Ekats and Madrigals. And on the bed infront of him lay Alistair Oh.

Just ten hours ago, Ian had injected into the old man the taipan anti-venom he had finally concocted after two days. Oh's condition had been too severe so Ian considered strengthening the potion but his old age stopped him. Alistair was truly delicate, and his health was fragile. He musn't be torturing himself like this, engaging himself in the hunt which most adult Cahills called _deathly _and then taking it upon himself to look after the younger generation of Cahills. For all Ian cared, they were more than capable.

Ian groaned. "You stubborn old goat," he said to no one in particular.

He then got up then walked over to the bathroom. He felt groggy after being in the laboratory for twenty-five hours, encased within the room while formulas all around him released fumes which, for all he knew, were deadly when inhaled. He hadn't cared back then. All he wanted was to finish the brewing then get back to searching for his sister.

Ian looked at himself in the mirror then groaned again. He wasn't _pretty _anymore. There were purple half-moons underneath his eyes and the molten gold of them had hardened to amber. His hair all stuck-up, a result of his not being able to tend to it properly. His skin was no longer the exotic golden tanned hue but lighter than usual. His cheekbones were also more angular than he had ever seen them.

He couldn't believe it. He could actually be _ugly._

But if he looked like this, he couldn't imagine what his sister looked like. She was in a much worse situation and all the stress must have gotten to her, and wrinkled her skin. Ian chuckled to himself at the prospect. His sister would be a sight to behold then.

He then couldn't help it. He sucked in a breath.

_Natalie._

She was his responsibility. He should have told the people at the school to have an eye on her at all times. Hell, he should have hired her bodyguards, especially considering who they were and what they had gone through. He should have known better, _period_.

He then turned the bathtub on and listened to the rush of water. It was strangely comforting. They made him think of rushing rivers, and that pure water could be obtained from these. Perhaps that was what he should do: get over blaming himself and move on to trying to find his sister. No one actually wanted his sister in particular. They were no longer rich. And yes, she was a snob at school but she was definitely a _lot _kinder than how she was before.

Who would want her?

_Your sister has been a disappointment. Teach her, Ian. Or I will be forced to do it myself._

He stared at himself at the mirror.

"Mother," he muttered.

After turning the faucet off, he raced out of the room.

-o-

"Hey, watch out for stairs," Reagan told Ted who she was leaning on.

He laughed, a low and contagious sound. "I believe that I am in a much better state than you, Reagan."

She huffed. "Well, I'm still the one who can see."

He shook his head. "I'm the one who's not humping forward like an old lady."

She thumped him on the shoulder but the mere effort hurt her right arm.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Reags," Hamilton told her.

She frowned. "Don't tell me what to do, Ham."

He smiled. "I know. I was talking about your back's welfare, that's all." He winked then left her.

She rolled her eyes. "He's so gay."

"I think he's lonely."

She chuckled. "Ham? Lonely? Huh."

They then walked towards the arrivals section of the airport where the baggage claim was. Well, all they were gonna get was Hamilton's duffel bag.

"If we don't get attacked while on the way home, I'll cook burritos for everyone," Nellie announced. "In honor of Alistair. And sushi. Right, Nat—"

She turned and realized that Natalie was not with them. Phoenix shook his head and gave her a sad smile. Fiske squeezed her shoulder.

"It's okay. She'll be with us soon," he assured her.

She nodded, her eyes once again watery. "It's just—I promised her sushi, remember?"

Phoenix nodded. "Just as Uncle Fiske said. She'll be with us soon."

Ted laughed. Fiske turned to him with a questioning look. "What is it, Ted?"

"Well," Ted began. "We're finally out. A week ago, I thought it impossible. But now, we're actually walking out of the airport and in half an hour, I'll be home again."

Despite the circumstances, everyone smiled. Ted was right. Their escape was truly a miracle. After months of being in the Vespers' hands, it certainly was amazing to be able to breathe freely again. Sure, Natalie and Alistair were in danger of dying but they could hope. That was what they did when they were in the cell: they hoped. And here they were.

Even though they suffered in the cells, they still were able to learn something. Phoenix grew years within those months. Alistair and Fiske were able to regain their youth as demanded by their situation. Natalie Kabra grew tougher and was the most Cahill among all of them.

"I know this'll sound wrong but," Phoenix said. "I don't wanna forget what happened back there. I feel that that wasn't the end. The Vespers were just warming up. And now, they know who to get and who to push."

Reagan groaned. "Amy once told me never to let go of any memory no matter how awful. They're still memories and the past never repeats itself. Experiences are precious."

Truly, it was only the beginning. But the next time, they'll be ready.

-o-

Natalie woke to an awful stench of rat poo, mold, stagnant water, pee, overgrowth, and…

"Chanel number 5?" she said.

She heard a chuckle and knew the owner immediately. She already knew that she would be around but it was just too difficult to believe. She didn't answer for her crimes justly as they thought she had. Lies, they were all lies. And Natalie now thought that this was the worst of them all.

"Mother," Natalie muttered, with a tremble in her voice that she worked hard to prevent from showing. But it was no use. Isabelle Kabra was that powerful and frightening. Years of training melted away at once and Natalie found herself sweating in rivulets, shivering, and crying.

"Natalie, my Natalie," Isabelle chanted as she walked towards her daughter. She was just as she normally was, Natalie noticed. Her make-up was just as thick; her fair skin was clear and flawless; her amber eyes hard and cold; and her smile calculating.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Natalie yelled.

Isabelle laid her palm against Natalie's cheek then wiped away her tears using her thumb. "You look hideous."

Natalie shouted, "I couldn't care less about what you think!"

Isabelle shook her head. "Now, that's no way to talk to your mother. And I told you that if you fail me, I will have to discipline you."

Natalie screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>SS Jamy: Sir! A ship is fast approaching!<strong>

**SS Amian: Sir! We see a ship! And it's so ultra...shiny?**

**Ian: What do you mean it's shiny? The only shiny thing you'll see on this voyage is my smile!**

**Jake: Yo! Cobra! Is that Jonah Wizard?**

**Jonah: Yo yo yo homies! Jonah Wiz in the house!**

**SS Amonah: Us too!**

**TaraRAN! Okay...I am a shipper of all these boats so...yeah. :D**

**Person: No problem dear friend! :D And I'm alive! Again... xD**

**Guest: Awww...and there ya go! Amonah! And it's wonderful to know you're also Amian. Please don't die! I'd hate it if you die because of my laziness and slow writing... -.-**

**addicted2reading9: Yeah, I know that line was so utterly funny...and corny. xD And your story will be finished soon! And it is so utterly adorable if I do say so myself... :D**

**noname: Okay... You should have reviewed earlier! You've missed the prize...**

**clara0414: Sinead? That's surprising...I mostly hope that Evan is the mole 'cause I don't want him to end up with Amy... :) And congratulations! Your gut feeling was absolutely correct!**

**Lana: Ehemm...I just can't say for sure... xD Wait for it!**

**Guest: Wow...there's another reviewer named Guest...I am very sorry. You guys might get confused at this part. :D I am solid Lucian! Well, I am proud for being Lucian-Slytherin-Dauntless... what does that say about my personality? xD And yeah, I learned about Ivan through the black book...though I did search about him through Google too. :))))**

**Guest: Are you the other Guest or a new one? Wow. (*.*)Y Well, the genre says Amian but I am not gonna say anything any further...**

**CrushedShattered: Yes. Indeed. :)**

**nellieawesomegomez: Well, good news dear friend! It wasn't a couple months...It was four months! xD And again, I apologize.. =.=**

**fieryjunior35: Haha thanks a lot! This is what a bored person does when he is bored... :) And review again!**

**Sadie A. Cahill: And I updated even later! Haha deja vu indeed. And yes! So I believe you all can look forward to some Hamead moments from now on!**

**Guest: Another Guest! *gasp* Jamy! xD**

**Guest: Guest number 5! *double gasp* Yeah I guess anyone can get tired of something if it's been overused. Haha...So I'm bringing a new couple to the table: AMONAH! But the classics still rock... Amian...**

**Hiker Writer: Yeah, I try to emphasize the nightmare part.. :) And then, I am trying to perfect everything...bear with me!**

**magicdemi-god223: Hamead right? :D And I'm sorry I wasn't able to update sooner.. :(( I'm trying to make this story as amazing as possible and I hope everyone's happy..**

**Vintage Apocalypse: Thanks! xD**

**HopelessAddictToWriting: Hamead and Teagan! Good luck to your story! I am not guaranteeing anything but I can say that Hamead and Teagan are amazing!**

**Cobra1902: Thanks! And here it is!**

**Guest: Number 6! xD Thanks!**

**Paris Cahill: Wow! Oh my gosh...That might just be the most amazing compliment I've received so far! Thank you! xoxo And again, I cannot guarantee that this is a Natan... xD**

**hi: Thank you! And yes, I know. -.-**

**sara: IKR? Haha...**

**emmily: I try to make it as romantic as possible! xD But not sappy...**

**lolls: Yes. Don't worry. The stories will keep on coming!  
><strong>

**Again, thank you all for bearing with me! I love y'all so much! And please don't walk out on me... I'll post the stories as soon as possible, I PROMISE!**

**Thank you very much! HUGS! :3**

**~.twihardtribute.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A pleasant day to you all! :D And yes, I am back from the dead. I apologize very much for having been absent for SEVEN MONTHS. My laziness was just too much, and my schedule kept me from reaching this site and from finishing my fic. T.T I AM SO SORRY! I cannot express how truly sorry I am. To apologize further, I would like to let y'all know that I uploaded a TID/TMI crossover earlier today, entitled The Bridge and I hope you'll find time-and forgive me enough-to read it.**

**Well, here is Chappie 16 as promised and I hope you enjoy it. :) It's quite longer than usual and I hope you'll be satisfied with it..**

* * *

><p>Weirded out.<p>

That was how Jake felt as he stared at his cellphone's screen. While browsing through his contacts, Jake stumbled upon a number, stored as _Call Me._ He tried to think. Did anyone touch his phone when he wasn't around? But he never left it lying just anywhere. His phone was like his best friend, and he never let it out of his sight.

"Curious," he muttered.

Maybe he should call it. But no. It could be a number of some Vesper spy or a device which could immediately track his location. There were a lot of possibilities, and all of them were negative.

Well, almost all of them. Perhaps it was because of general security or just out of mere curiosity, but he pressed the call button.

It rang. And rang. He began to rethink his actions. What would happen if he had just walked right into a trap? What if this was actually the trigger to a bomb? And what if this bomb was planted on one of the hostages? He was about to end it when a familiar voice answered.

"_Hello?"_

"A-Amy?"

"_Jake?"_

He then laughed. "Wow. I never thought I'd be glad to hear your voice."

"_Ha ha. Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Congeniality."_

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"_Couldn't. I just had this feeling that something good will happen, you know? Like, you're staying awake for something amazing but you just don't know what it is."_

"Well, it's probably just the birthday jitters for your surprise birthday party." He gasped. "Did I say that out loud?"

"_Very funny, Jake. My birthday's in four months."_

"Right. Right." He then started tapping on his desk. He was lying down on his plush blue recliner in his room in the Cahill mansion. He had begun to make it his own, since he was starting to like Massachusetts. "Hey, uh, did you, by any chance, save your number on my phone?"

"_Yeah. As a matter of fact, I did."_

"You did?"

"_I also happened to have been the one to put the bomb in your room." _Jake could feel the smile on her face across the line. _"No, Jake. I didn't."_

"Well, I'm sorry to break your fantasy of such a gorgeous and intellectual individual such as myself stalking you but this number—yours—was on my phone. Unknown origins."

"_Hmm… Perhaps I put it in. You know, just in case you needed some help with your homework."_

Jake chuckled. This Amy was different. She was much cheerier, much more hopeful than the Amy he had recently been seeing in the CCC.

"_So, you just called to ask whose number this was?"_

"Well, I had been hoping to ask whoever that was out on a date. You know, I've been pretty bored and I realized I could use a breather."

"_Even if it could have been a boy?"_

"To go out with a man such as I? He would be flattered."

He heard her laugh. He also felt the tension from the previous weeks unwind within himself. He could imagine her right now, lying down on her bed, looking up at her glow-in-the-dark stars, her brownish-red hair spread out across her pillow like a fan, and her emerald eyes twinkling as she giggled.

Catching himself, he shook his head. _What was he thinking?_

"_Do you hear that?"_

Jake sensed caution in her voice. He also heard a rustle which could have meant that she sat up. He crunched his eyebrows and tried to hear what it was that she heard. Unfortunately, it was much too faint.

"_What the—Jake, can you hear that?"_

"Hear what? Amy, stay there. I'll go and check it—"

And the line died. He cursed then ran to the CCC. He found Jonah and Evan, still poring over the coded messages they had received from Nathan earlier. Jake rushed to the set of monitors that were portraying the areas of the house the surveillance cameras were watching. His eyes raked each of them hurriedly, quickening when he saw that Amy's room was empty.

"Jonah," he called.

"Yo," the superstar replied.

"Did you see Amy run out of her room?"

"Yeah, in fact I did. After talkin' to someone on her cell."

Jake then heard the sound of gravel and a long, low horn being blown. All the three boys' heads shot up and their attentions turned towards the front gate. Evan typed into the keyboard, magnifying the scene by the main gate onto the main screen.

On the monitor was a black BMW with tinted windows and a suspicious sheen to it. The passenger side window rolled down and a hand emerged, pressing the palm on the fingerprint identifying machine which screened every individual entering the grounds. Only those with the Cahill gene may unlock the gate.

"They won't get it opened," Evan confidently stated. "If they're not Cahills."

The gates opened.

Jake cursed then sat down infront of a keyboard. He began furiously typing into it. He tried to access the identity the lock had uncoded to: _ACCESS DENIED_. He tried to activate the thermal capability of the surveillance cameras: _ACCESS DENIED. _He tried to activate the spikes on the road, hoping that they would be able to deflate the vehicle's tires: _ACCESS DENIED_. He tried to initiate the fog belching of the nearby fruit trees: _ACCESS DENIED._

He slammed his fists on the keyboard in frustration. "What the _hell _is going on!?"

"The manor's security features disable only when coded as thus by three people, in case they think it best for the structure and its inhabitants," Evan said.

"Say what?" Jonah asked.

Jake was the one who answered. "If one of the three really important people thinks that there is no need for the security thingies, they can code it as so at the guardhouse, supposing they have the code."

"Well, that's a good way to get killed," Jonah announced.

Jake and Evan nodded their heads in unison.

"Who are those three people anyways?" The rapper asked.

"Amy, Sinead, and—" Evan paused midsentence.

"And?"

"Fiske," Jake said under his breath.

-o-

Dan had just been on the ride of his life.

At first, he thought that he would have to stay in the baggage area, in the tail part of the jet. However, Jonah had thought better of it and squeezed Dan in as one of the stewards instead. Jonah had told the other staff that he was merely a rookie and therefore did not need to fulfill the duties of a steward yet. Instead, he had been strapped into one of the seats by the stewards' section, just beside the cart which was wheeled around to serve the passenger's hunger and thirst needs.

Dan had helped himself. Well, if he was going to undertake a really difficult and dangerous mission, he might as well stuff himself with energy if he wanted to unleash his ultimate ninja mojo on the evil Vespers. He grabbed three granola bars, a bottle of grape-flavored Gatorade, and a huge bar of _Toblerone_.

"Because you complete me," Dan muttered before kissing it then stealthily stuffing it into his backpack.

When his steward companions came to strap themselves into the seats beside him for the descent, he went back to fiddling his fingers and pretending to be fascinated about everything.

"This occupation truly is astounding," he said in his best impersonation of an educated person.

"Yes," a stewardess who seemed to be twenty-four of age answered. "It is very satisfying, most especially when one is in need of a vacation." She smiled. "Our expenses are conveniently paid for, thus offering us the opportunity to travel the world as well as enjoy ourselves in the process."

Dan tried to show them his most excited expression. "I am very relieved I chose this career."

After smiling at him once again, they heard the pilot's voice announcing that they were landing in the Lionhead Private Airfield. Dan again thought to himself how convenient Jonah just made the trip, landing him somewhere just a couple of miles off from the suspected Vesper hideout site.

As he walked through the tiny airport, he saw the band members talking with their agent, muttering something about _late chauffeurs _when he spotted a men's room and slipped inside.

He ignored the moss on the wall beside him and fished in his bag for the GPS tracker Jonah had given him before sneaking him off to the airport. A red dot blinked somewhere south from where Dan was currently standing. Red meant Lucian. He racked for any Lucian hostage and all he came up with was Natalie Kabra. He zoomed out, in hopes of locating the other hostages.

He came up with none.

Thinking that Natalie was isolated and probably left by the others, he threw the tracker back into his bag and banged his way out of the bathroom, walking past the stares of two van rental drivers. He jogged up to a stout and short police officer (he assumed he was a police officer since he wore a badge on his left breast pocket).

"Sir, um," Dan started.

The officer looked at him, his unruly beard going along with the motions. "_Si, signor?_"

"Where is south?"

"Sa-ooth?"

"Yes, you know, south," Dan said, producing a map and pointing to the compass.

"Ahh, _sur._" He then pointed to Dan's right.

Dan bowed. "_Arigato._"

He followed the officer's directions, with absolutely no idea that he had just muttered a Japanese word in response to a man who spoke Spanish.

-o-

_Run. Run, Amy. Run._

All her life, she had thought that things couldn't ever get better. She always thought that she and her brother had hit rock bottom; they were orphans and lived with someone who didn't care about them to even provide them enough pocket money in order to fulfill their wants. She always found ways for her and Dan. Their grandmother was perhaps the only person in the world who cared about their happiness. Every trip to her mansion was like a retreat from reality for Amy. She could always relax and do as she pleased when she was with their grandmother. She loved them, and they her.

She fell even lower than rock bottom when Grace died. The first time she heard, it had come from Nellie's lips. Amy had been reading _The Great Gatsby _when their au pair came into the room, with earphones removed for once. She had sat on Amy's bed and asked the teen to put the book aside. Nellie then told the news in four words: "Your gramma's gone, kiddo." Nellie had looked at her with pity. At first, Amy couldn't register it. She needed to hear it in her mind ten more times before asking Nellie to repeat it. It was only by the fourth time that the au pair muttered it that Amy had truly understood: the only person who loved Dan and her was dead.

When Dan heard, he had run from school the next day. He ran, and ran, and ran. He told her that he only wanted to get away, to go somewhere where all this was a dream. He wanted escape. He wanted to feel the wind on his face, the caress of their grandmother's hands on his cheeks. He thought that she was still flying in her plane and that if he ran fast enough, he could catch sight of her again.

And so she ran.

But not away from reality; into what she hoped was the truth. She ran down the spiraling staircase, past the long hallway of noted Cahills, through the long dining room, and finally, out the main door.

She could feel the wind on her face and hear voices in the wind. She could sense the sky, the clouds, and the sun. She could see a black BMW infront of her, as well as six other people.

She felt her knees grow weak and give way under her. Tears started streaming down her face and she cupped her palm over her mouth to contain her sob. She then cried into her hands, laughing and shrieking at the same time. Soon, she could hear other footsteps from behind her. She saw Jonah embrace his cousin, Phoenix; she saw Evan hug Ted who was aided out of the vehicle by Reagan; Madison had also come out and she tackled her twin in a bear hug; and last but not the least, Sinead emerged. She slowly walked towards Ted, stroked his cheeks with her fingertips, then pulled him in for a hug. Ted hugged his sister back, murmuring words of encouragement into her hair.

Strong hands cupped Amy's elbows and she opened her eyes to the only person asides from her brother who loved Grace as much as she: Fiske. He smiled—still a feat for him—and soon wrapped his arms around her. Nellie joined them, then Phoenix, then the triplets, and soon, Amy was the center of a gigantic group hug.

"_Run. When you think the world will end, run. Run and never give up for if the road ends, the world truly has ended. Just run and see if the world will give up on you. Otherwise, keep running. Keep fighting."_

"Grace would be so proud," Fiske told her.

Amy smiled through her tears. She knew that somewhere, wherever she may be, Grace was smiling with her hands clasped together. She knew that the world hadn't ended. The evidence was right infront of her.

-o-

_The Cahill Christmas Ball, just as always, began with a game. From two fishbowls, Fiske would pick out two names—a girl's and a boy's. These two would then create a game wherein all could play. The reward for being able to engage all the Cahills was slavery of their relatives for the next 48 hours. It was a marvelous prize, one which no one had yet won. The previous year, Madison had been too ecstatic and excited while Ian had just stood like a Michelangelo sculpture._

_That year, Fiske picked out two names. And they had been Dan Cahill and Natalie Kabra. The two were surprised. Dan had been picked out once before, with his sister. Amy had thought of only corny games and no one would play. It was also Natalie's first time to play. They were given seven days to prepare; a week before the ball. Dan always wanted the prize so he could be a king for two days; Natalie wanted to be pampered by all that she saw; this they had in common._

_The first three days, they could be seen in different parts of the mansion, devising games wherein they thought that everyone would enjoy. This game, though, promoted cooperation and their technique promoted the complete opposite. Thus, one day, Amy engaged the both in a pep talk which had been quite effective because for the next four days, they were always together, thinking of games. They even interviewed the relatives about which games they loved to play. They usually went out to go window shopping and see which materials could be used for their game—and every afternoon they arrived, Dan would be laden with paper bags; these were Natalie's things._

_On the day of the ball, Dan and Natalie had such bright smiles as they stood on the stage of the Cahill manor's ballroom that the Cahills thought they were in for trouble. And truly, everyone had enjoyed the game, even Natalie's grumpy older brother, Ian. In the end, they were all chuckling and giggling and rolling all over the floor. Everyone then decided to bestow upon Dan and Natalie the privilege of their service for 48 hours._

Natalie panted.

Again, she woke to the scene she had witnessed earlier: moss, earth, mud, and an unhealthy yellowy glow which emanated from the light bulb. She looked around her and saw that she was alone; that much she was grateful for. She had also realized that her feet were tied to the legs of the chair she was seated in; her wrists were bound to its arms. She tried to wriggle free, but after several minutes of trying, it had been without positive results. Her wrists bled crimson.

She sucked in a deep breath and tilted her head upwards to try and contain the tears which had begun to well up in her eyes. She groaned loudly, trying to expel her being of the feeling of hopelessness and desperation.

Just outside her cell, she noticed a flicker of movement.

"Mother?" she called.

She was met only by silence. The light bulb had begun to flicker, no doubt an effect Isabel had wanted to install for sadistic reasons. And again, Natalie spotted a flash of black.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Reveal yourself, you _coward!_"

She heard a growl, as if coming from a feral dog. She wildly looked around her in fear. Then, she heard a low growl that must have only been produced by a bear. Natalie was starting to think of something, to remember that game that they had constructed the last Christmas ball. Her suspicions would be confirmed if she heard—

The sound of sizzling fire; as produced by a dragon. Natalie smiled. That was when she knew that she had been rescued. Help had come for her. And that was when she heard the sweetest sound of all: the jingling of a rattlesnake.

Mysteriously, something silver flew into the side of her chair. It stuck to the wood. A knife. Natalie quickly bit the handle and began sawing furiously at the rope on her hand. She was afraid of cutting her arm but the thought of her mother coming back frightened her more. And so she sawed faster. She could see her brother again; she could shop once more. She sawed harder.

"_Give me the key to her cell."_

Isabel. Natalie hurried up. Just one more to go… And she was free. Trying her best not to fumble with the rope, she quickly undid the knots. Her hand was shaking so hard that she could hardly grab hold of the rope.

She could then hear footsteps. She hurriedly removed the knots by her feet. She did the left one first, quickly regretting as the knot was far more complicated. She turned to the other foot and found that the tie was exactly like the other.

She could then hear them; they were on the other side of her cell door.

"_Go on, then. Get me my leeches."_

Natalie was crying then. Tears blurred her vision but just as she thought she would just surrender, she saw the knife on the other side of her foot. She took it then cut the rope up.

The door opened and Natalie ran, almost tripped once, then drove the knife into her mother's shoulder.

Isabel gasped. "Natalie."

"Mum," Natalie replied. "I had finally gathered my bearings and realized that if I killed you right now, it would do us all good."

Isabel chuckled. "You cannot kill your own mother."

Natalie saw that the corridor was clear of any other person. And so, she twisted the knife, heard her mother scream, then jerked it out.

"I will escape," Natalie muttered into her mother's ear. "If you come after me, I _will _kill you."

Natalie walked away but then heard the familiar _klip-klop _of her mother's heels against the marble floor.

"You _cannot _kill me," Isabel remarked. "You and your brother are the same. You are both _weak_."

Isabel had stabbed her , and shot her foot. Isabel, her own _mother_. All her life, Natalie had looked up to her mother with love and adoration, worshipping her every word and teaching. Isabel had been Natalie and her brother's sign to a brighter future, to a bigger Kabra manor, to the world domination by the Lucians, just as how it rightly was to be.

Greed, pride, and dignity ruined their dream of the perfect family. Ian had gone rogue, as had Natalie. Isabel was nothing but evil, and she deserved nothing but darkness and suffering.

And so, with a grunt, Natalie turned around, and plunged the knife into Isabel's stomach.

Isabel then coughed blood.

The child smirked. "Who's weak now, mother? _Who_ cannot kill _who_?"

Twisting the knife and pocketing it, Natalie walked off, leaving her mother to drown in a pool of her own blood.

-o-

Dan loved poison dart guns. They were tiny but really useful when you didn't want anyone to catch you. He grinned as his latest victims—two female guards—went down. The poison he was using put the victim into a state of coma for at least seven days. Oh, how he wished that that was all the poison could do.

The toxic he had taken was apparently one of the most lethal ones—as he had stolen from Ian's private stash. This kind not only put the victim in a deep sleep, but it also slowly narrowed their veins, thereby stopping the blood flow throughout the body. This happened discreetly, so the doctor would only suspect a coma, and nothing more. And thus, by the time victim wakes up, he would be dying, or he wouldn't even wake up at all.

He had shot all the guards he passed, and only a few ever saw him. He was now only waiting for Natalie, who he wished had gotten his clues and pieced them together. He wanted to rush in and save her—as he was that kind of hero—but thought twice about it, knowing that Natalie wanted to be the one to remove herself from dangerous situations. He had given her that chance, and wished that he hadn't just put her life in jeopardy because of it.

He then heard footsteps emerging from the room across the hall, as well as two voices conversing. They were coming back, and Natalie was nowhere in sight.

"_Crap_," one of them called out upon seeing the limp bodies on the floor.

"What the—" the other said.

"Go check the prisoner. _Now,_" Guard 1 commanded.

Guard 2 had been unable to do that task because just as he turned around, a dart bit into his skin and he slumped to the ground.

Guard 1 immediately spotted Dan ran to him with outstretched arms. Dan smiled, aimed the gun, the pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Both of them stared at each other as Dan kept on pulling the trigger and realized that he had no darts left.

Dan then smiled and said, "Well, well, well… Aren't you fortunate?"

Guard 1 growled and was just about to pounce on Dan when long, slim fingers yanked on his hair from behind. Guard 1 bent backwards—accompanied with a disturbing sound of cracking bone—and he fell to the floor, reaching out for whoever had caught him by surprise.

Dan's eyes widened. "Natalie."

She smirked at him then kicked Guard 1 in the ribs. He groaned then curled up in a fetal position. Natalie pulled her leg back then kicked him again, right on the back of his head. Guard 1 cried out and was then whimpering as Natalie again pulled her foot out for another blow. But just before she could deliver it, Dan stood between her and her victim.

"That's enough," he told her.

"He deserves to die," Natalie told him in a venomous voice.

"Yes but—but not like _this_. You won't be able to live with this."

Natalie chuckled. "You think I haven't killed anyone before? Don't you know the job description of being a Lucian?"

"Yes, Natalie. You haven't killed anyone. You hold your tranq dart out so everyone will cower behind their mama's skirts but you haven't actually _killed anyone_."

"Oh really? What makes you think that?"

"Because you have a nice heart and I know that you have a soft spot—"

"Me? A soft spot? What do you—"

"You are _not _a murderer Natalie Kabra—"

"How can you be so sure—"

"You are a nice person—"

"I KILLED MY MOTHER TODAY!"

Natalie was panting then and Dan looked at her in disbelief.

"I killed Isabel," she repeated. "I _killed my own mother_."

And then, the tears which she had so tried to prevent from flowing gushed out like lake water from a broken dam. She crumpled to her knees as she finally realized the weight of what she had done. She had killed her mother—her _mother_. She had killed the person who had carried her in her womb for nine months; the woman who painstakingly endured thirteen hours of labor so she may see the world; the woman who burned the midnight oil so she may look after her daughter closely; the woman who taught Nat to walk and talk; the woman who gave Natalie everything she ever wanted.

Natalie had killed a world-renowned murderer, child abuser, liar, and thief. Nat had done the world good.

Dan was on his knees infront of her, stroking her back and saying nothing. He knew her. He knew that she didn't want to be comforted. He knew that she would gather herself on her own terms and pick herself up. He knew that all he could do now was to retreat to CCC before they were caught by the Vespers.

"Come on, Nat," he cooed. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>And here come the tears! :D Natan in full effect, people! And Jamy climbs up another step. Here, we all finally get to see the effect of Dan's earlier prank...<strong>

**fieryjunior35: thank you so much! that meant the whole world to me! :))) because of my laziness, i was starting to think you guys might have given up on me... I guess I would have deserved that though... TT-TT**

**Ascend or A8scond: first of all, I like your pen name :D it's really quite inventive. And here is your request, dear! a natan, with cherry on top : and yes, I am getting pretty close to a certain Amonah moment I have in mind right now...so Amonah shippers, get your cannons ready! :D**

**martigirl: Teagan and Nedison are indeed a bit overlooked in this fandom but I wish to bring them to life. :) most of the fics I see are Deagan or Madan but I'm not really into these. I like the pairings between the Starlings and Holts because it's pretty adorable and hilarious at the same time. :")**

**Phantomhive Cahill: Amian, Amonah, or Jamy...hmm... Well, I'm for all of them! :D I love all those pairings which is why I'm having a war with myself right now: as to who I'm going to get Amy to end up with when this series ends. Amian is on VERY high demand, but Jamy shippers are constantly increasing while the Amonah ship isn't too far back... Let's just see. :)**

**addicted2reading9: your story is a romance fic about Danead. And I have to admit that it's got real potential. :D haha...too bad I'm a solid Natan shipper. And I think I beat you this time, dear. :)) And yes, I think this year will be ultimately better than last because I swear to be more responsible. :**

**damnit000: doesn't everyone get sad when their favorite story comes to an end? :) and again, the choice between Amonah, Jamy, and Amian is still pretty unresolved right now because they all have their own perks! Each guy is ultimately different from the other and their effect on Amy is really cute. x) I think I'll cry when I'll finally decide on Amy's perfect guy...**

**magicdemi-god223: yeah, I guess Ian is the late hero, huh? Dan got to Nat before he did so I'm grinning at the thought of what he'll do when he gets to HQ... perhaps a bit of humor would be nice? :D oh and I hope you have a wonderful 2013 too! (even though we're already half-way through)**

**BookwormGirl16: oh yeah...the last Amian had been so long ago. Are you guys itching for an Amian? I guess another chappie for that is in order! :D**

**nellieawesomegomez: I am Divergent(Dauntless-Erudite-Amity)-Slytherin-Lucia n-Warlock-Designer(District 8) :D so from those, I guess one can deduce that I'm evil? :))) And I'm sorry to say-I'm not hating or anything but-I'm not really into the Percy Jackson series.. :/ I don't know why but I just am not... to the fans out there, please don't hate me! :(((**

**poptropica.1997: haha...indeed. And here is Chappie 16! I guess a lot of people are pretty irritated right now because it took me more than half a year to update...**

**Guest: # 1 :))) I have continued! :D**

**Guest: #2 :))) Yeah...that is the biggest question right now, isn't it? Who'll get the girl? haha...I guess you'll have to read to find out.**

**catdreamer39: Well, most of your critiques have been pointed out earlier in the series. For example, Sinead has green eyes, I know, but I'm just going with the blue because if I change it to green, the readers would get confused. And yes, I think that I described Ian's having olive skin and almond eyes earlier as well. It's just that due to the settings and conditions in this fic-such as his living in the city, and stress-it's only natural that he'd lose his tan and his eyes would get darker. Sinead's not really portrayed in the book but according to a survey, those who don't show much emotion are those who act most intense when under a state of duress, or in her case, stress. And with Jonah I understand that he uses slang but it's just that I don't really know much slang so I just went with the shortcuts and such. :) The twins actually get called Mads and Reags sometimes in the book. I like using these because it symbolizes that they're softening. Amy's hair was described in the first book as reddish-brown which is the same as auburn. With the Isabelle, it's just that at the time I was making that chap, I was also engrossed in The Mortal Instruments and one of the characters there was Isabelle Lightwood so I guess I got pretty much affected. :) But on the other hand, thank you still for criticizing my work and please feel free to do so in the future chapters. :)))**

**Mr Moonface: I am also in love with oranges. :) I am also in love with Jake. :) I want him for myself but I also want him to end up with Amy so my life is really complicated right now... :D**

**Mila-is-a-bookworm-101: Thanks a lot! :D**

**Jemjem: "I am like, so in love with the 39 Clues that if I never read them, I would be dead." Hear hear, comrade! Hear hear! :)))**

**Guest: #3 I like you determination, dear. You almost never see that anymore! :D But I hope that this chap delivered!**

**Team Jamy: Well actually, I'm a journalist but because of our adviser's FAVORITISM, someone worse than I got chosen to be the Editor-in-Chief of our paper. I'm actually pretty pissed now that I'm all depressed and so...I'm even thinking of quitting writing. DAMN HER! ;((( What kind of paper chooses their EIC through VOTING? haha...I'm sorry if I lost it... :)**

**Jamyluvsyou: haha...don't worry, Jamy shippers! You find yourselves looking down on the Amian ship! :D**

**Guest: #4 DundundunDUUUUNNN! :DDDDDD**

**Guest: #5 :))) Yay! I'm trying so hard to make them IC so thanks A LOOOTT!**

**To all you guys, I love you so much for not walking out on me. :))) That means so much to me. So please tune in for Chap 17 and hopefully, I won't take as long this time. :) And also, to all CassieClare fans out there, please check out my new TID/TMI crossover fic entitled The Bridge.**

**LoveyaLOTS! :***

**~.dauntsthercian warlock.**


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